


Pride & Prejudice

by Simarillion



Category: American Actor RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-03
Updated: 2010-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-08 16:38:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simarillion/pseuds/Simarillion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's nothing of greater importance than gossip. Besides marrying your children off. So when Mr. Padalecki announces the opening of a new Padalecki gallery on Third Street, it comes as no surprise that both gossip and marriage plans are on the daily schedule.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: None of the herein presented happenings and events are true. Everything is 100% fiction and that includes the sexuality of the characters. We don't claim to be in the know about their relations and private affairs and we don't make any money with the creation of this story.
> 
> Notes: The idea of a Jane Austen AU cames to me a very long time ago, with a different Austen novel as the plot and in a completely different fandom. It re-surfaced this summer though, and when talking about it with a friend of mine, it soon became clear that the writing of this story would be my summer project.
> 
> I absolutely adore the cast of the fic and it took me and Susi hours to decide which actor would be the right one for which character. It was great fun though, and made us laugh so hard at times, that people were looking at us funny.

>   
> _"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." (Austen 1813, p. 5)_   
> 

If he wasn't looking for a wife, he must at least be looking for someone to lavish his money on. However he chooses in the end, his neighbours will not be deprived of sticking their noses into his affairs. For his own good, of course. After all, he will be part of the family at some point in the future, right?

So when the word spreads that a Padalecki – yes, THE Padalecki – gallery will open on Third Street, all of the Santa Monica VIPs are excited. Short of a Guggenheim opening its gates, there is nothing of greater importance in the Art world. And with the opening, the man himself is expected to come to Santa Monica.

"Jeff, the rumours are true, for I've just talked to Teri on the phone, and she tells me that Mr. Padalecki will arrive in L.A. next week. He's going to oversee the preparation of the opening himself."

Jeffrey D. Morgan replies that he is interested to hear about the news, but also cautions his wife to not get overly excited. He knows of his wife's tendency to get herself into a frenzy over all things gossip.

"But this is of great importance. For there is something he mentioned to a friend." When Sandra Morgan gets no reply to this, she goes on. "Do you not want to know what he said?"

"Well, I'm not against hearing about it, and you are all for telling me."

"He expressed the wish to settle down. There."

"And he wants to settle here in Santa Monica? I am sure he will like it here." Although he has said all he wishes to, Jeffrey D. Morgan knows that his wife is far from finished with the conversation.

"Isn't this great for Charisma?"

"How so? How could his wish to live in our neighbourhood have any impact on our daughter?"

"Jeff!" Sandra Morgan is a woman of little patience, and even though she praises herself for being kind-minded towards everyone, there are few people she doesn't find fault with. "He expressed the wish to get settled, and that includes more than just a permanent residence at one location."

"And he revealed his intentions to come here to Santa Monica to marry Charisma and live with her here to you?"

"How can you be so tiresome? Of course he did no such thing, but his coming here, wanting to settle somewhere, and our daughter being the handsomest girl in Santa Monica's society, can only lead to them settling down together."

Jeffrey D. Morgan sends his condolences to their neighbour-to-be and vexes his wife some more by pointing out the silliness of their daughter. He is a loving father to all of his children, but unlike many parents, he is not blind to their faults. He has long been in pointing out the insufficiencies of his daughter and his sons, much to the vexation of one Sandra Morgan.

"You don't know how I suffer because of your treatment of our children. It pains me to hear you speak about them in such a manner."

"Yes my Dear, I am quite aware of your sufferings, but rest assured that my portrayal of them is much in favour of their true condition." This comment is met with a cry from Sandra Morgan. "But, Sandra, I have my sources for gossip as well, and I can assure you that poor Mr. Padalecki will not have to marry our daughter."

"And why is that so?"

"I have it on good information that he is gay and not interested in women at all." Jeffrey D. Morgan then chooses to leave his grieve-stricken wife to mourn the loss of a rich son-in-law privately.

He knows for certain that Sandra Morgan is not somebody to accept defeat so easily and that his wife will soon start her careful planning together with her best friend Teri Hatcher. Combined, the two women were a force to be reckoned with. In no time at all, they will have devised a plan to trap Mr. Jared Padalecki in holy matrimony with Charisma Morgan.

And he is not disappointed in his assumptions when he finds the two women the very same afternoon on the patio, planning and scheming the capture of one Jared Padalecki. Jeffrey D. Morgan then advises them to refrain from their plans but refuses to participate in a discussion about female intuition and charms.

His retreat is remarked upon by his wife and her friend. "I do not know how you do it, Sandra. You work as a renowned brain surgeon, bring up five children, take care of this house and live with a man who knows only about cars."

"Nobody can understand what I suffer. Jeff is determined to be against everything I am for, and his humour is of such a nature that he must laugh about the mishaps of others."

"My dear Sandra, you really should consider joining the Yoga class I told you about. I heard that Madonna herself attended the class while living in L.A."

Teri Hatcher is a long-time friend of Sandra Morgan. The two women have known each other since Sandra Morgan's coming to Santa Monica after her marriage, and there were never faster friends. Since Teri works as an editor in chief for the Entertainment News at the L.A. Times and as an occasional writer for the Santa Monica Mirror, she is her friend's source for all things gossip. She is always the first to know new rumours and the latest scandals.

Already in the earliest days of their acquaintance, the two women had formed a symbiosis that is still intact today. It is difficult to determine what responsibilities lie with whom, but the most important part is of course that it works.

And so they spend the rest of the afternoon contemplating the merits of joining the talked about yoga class and their most promising strategies where Jared Padalecki is concerned. With great joy, Teri Hatcher points out that the opening of the gallery is to take place at a time where not only Sandra Morgan's oldest sons Jensen and Wentworth will have returned from college for the summer, but also Teri Hatcher's own son David will be back to spend the holidays in Santa Monica.

In the evening, they part with promises to come together the next day and to continue the planning and the contemplating.

 

# Chapter II

When the invitation to the opening of the Padalecki gallery on Third Street arrives, the whole Morgan household is aflutter. Mrs. Sandra Morgan urges her husband to send an invitation to Mr. Jared Padalecki to the bar-b-q that is to take place on the weekend.

"You have to invite him and his siblings as well, for we can introduce him to Charisma at this occasion."

"I will do no such thing." Jeffrey D. Morgan has been listening to the more or less cunning schemes that his wife and her friend have been coming up with for many days now and he notices that his nerves are soon to abandon him. "The bar-b-q on Sunday is a get-together of the city council members, as you very well know, and I am not going to expose neither the city council members nor Mr. Padalecki to an afternoon of your meddling in things that you have no business in."

This is met with much displeasure and protestation from Sandra Morgan's side, but in the end, her husband is not to be moved on this. With much frustration and a painful headache, she has to seek refuge in her newly furbished yoga chamber. The former small parlour had steadily been transformed into her retreat after verbal jousts with her husband.

The other family members are not disheartened by their father's refusal to invite Jared Padalecki for Saturday, for they know that their father likes to tease their mother and that he will ensure that she meets the much talked about young man soon.

So when their mother stays in her yoga chamber, only admitting her friend Teri Hatcher inside, the children dismiss the whole incident and spend their free summer day enjoying their leisure time. The two youngest, Tom and Charisma, love to divert themselves with the many distractions of Third Street, the beach, and the Pier. As for the older three, Masi prefers to stay at home, continuing his search for a formula to bend time and space, while Jensen and Wentworth keep to the beach.

The days are spent quietly, and only night time brings adventures and action. Wentworth and Jensen are not of such a nature that needs diversions, but can find recreation in watching a movie at home or inviting some friends to hang with.

Jensen, who is the oldest of the Morgan siblings, is of a gentle nature and much adored for his beauty. He is said to be the calmest of the four boys, and he is gifted with a tranquil disposition. Being the oldest of the children, he has always felt a need to protect his siblings, and this desire to protect and the ability to care for others is reflected in his chosen field of profession. Having decided on medicine as a future, Jensen is particularly interested in paediatrics.

His studies and his work as a trainee at a local hospital reveal the wisdom in his choice, and there are none who do not agree that he is a fine and most accomplished young man.

What took some by surprise but never became an issue was the revelation that Jensen Morgan is gay. When he revealed his true sexual orientation to his family, it caused no uproar, and the reaction of their parents was simply to ask him to introduce his boyfriend to them.

It is a constant in the Morgan household that Jensen and Wentworth are inseparable, much like the two youngest siblings Tom and Charisma. The two students even share their dorm room at university. The continuous close proximity as well as their favouring the other's character and disposition ensure the strength and the closeness of the connection between the two older brothers.

Even though the much sought after Mr. Jared Padalecki is not invited to the bar-b-q, it is impossible to escape the talk and speculations about the young man. Teri Hatcher's constant quest for more information in the name of Mrs. Sandra Morgan has led to an impressive knowledge about the past history of the Padalecki family as well as the exploits of the current Mr. Padalecki.

The titbit of information about Mr. Jared Padalecki's sexuality is ignored in favour of the future marriage plans that have already been made by the two women. After much persuasion, even Charisma Morgan is won over to the cause, much to the annoyance of Mr. Morgan.

Only one other sibling joins his mother and sister in the scheming and planning, Tom Morgan. This development can be traced back to his close link to his sister, since the two siblings are almost as inseparable as the two older brothers.

And so the weekend and the bar-b-q pass by, and the opening of the new gallery on Third Street is slowly approaching. None of the respectable society of Santa Monica will openly admit it, but the date has become somewhat of a much anticipated day. There are many different expectations, and not one member of the VIPs can keep from gossiping about the famous young man that has the hearts of mothers and daughters aflutter without being present.

The week of the vernissage is a most exhausting one for Mrs. Sandra Morgan. Since she expects much from Friday evening, her mind can not find rest from planning and preparing the encounter between Mr. Padalecki and her daughter Charisma. Even the time she does not actively spend on instructing her youngest child about ways to ensare her supposed future husband, she is not able to keep from thinking about what is about to come and anticipating the merits of this most advantageous match between the Morgan and the Padalecki family.

On Thursday, the two Morgan women join forces with Teri Hatcher and spend the whole day finalising the preparations. A new dress and a visit to the coiffeur are some of the many points on the list that have to be done on that day.

It comes as no surprise to either Jeffrey D. Morgan or his other children that the following morning brings no reprieve from the weeklong chaos that has had the household in its grip. Ever since the news of the gallery on Third Street had reached the ears of one Sandra Morgan, the much sought after peace has been somewhat difficult to come by.

When Mrs. Morgan pitches her fifth fit of the morning and the maid hides in the kitchen to cry, a sharp word from Mr. Morgan has his wife hiding out in her yoga chamber together with their daughter. There is a collective sigh that marks the departure of the two women from the breakfast room, and even Tom, who is almost as excited about the evening as his mother and his sister are, can't help but enjoy the momentary peace.

Around noon, Teri Hatcher joins the two women for the preparations, and in the middle of the afternoon, Tom Morgan gives in to the desire to be part of the planning and preparing for tonight's fateful meeting.

The rest of the Morgan family prefers to spend the day at the beach or somewhere else outside, and are therefore able to stay out of Sandra Morgan's way.

Jeffrey D. Morgan leaves his garage after the scheduling of the production meeting of the new "Pimp my Ride" season, and after a short detour to the studio where he discusses some minor changes to the current season of the show, he makes his way home. By the time he arrives at his villa, the worst has passed, and the women of the family are almost finished with the dressing, the hair, and the make-up. Ignoring the odd cries and wails from the yoga retreat, he goes about his own preparations for the evening and gives his two oldest sons a call to remind them of the time the limousine is to pick them up in the evening.

By the time the long black stretch limousine parks in front of their entrance, the whole family has assembled in the entrance hall, and Sandra Morgan reviews the various outfits, finding fault with their appearance. There is none but herself and Charisma that pass her muster without some sort of complaint, but the comments do not bother the children since they have had a long time to get used to them.

Since it is much too late to change anything about the outfits anyway, Sandra Morgan has to admit defeat, and with only ten minutes delay, the family departs for the gallery opening.

 

# Chapter III

Third Street is at all hours of the day and night a place filled with throngs of people. Trinity of Synergy is the name of the concept that revitalised the neighbourhood years ago and ensured the success of the city's project. Today, the area close to the Santa Monica Pier is an address renown for the high quality of its shops, restaurants, and the great variety of celebrities that frequent the street.

Tonight, the bright lights and colours of the neon signs and billboards are joined by the glaring light of the spotlights that illuminate the entrance to the new Padalecki gallery. On the opposite side of the street, spectators have gathered to watch the arrival of the rich and famous of Santa Monica. A red carpet has been rolled out for the occasion especially.

At the Morgan's arrival, the black stretch limousine rolls up to the curb and stops right in front of the beginning of the velvet carpet. Through the tinted windows, the flashes of the photographers can be seen.

When the door of the car opens Jeffrey D. Morgan is the first to get out. He helps first his wife and then his daughter out, and then turns to the reporter that eagerly asks questions about his expectations for the evening and his opinion on the world famous Padalecki galleries.

If she was asked, Sandra Morgan will easily admit that the media attention they get at public events is something that she would not want to miss. She was the only child of the famous Oh family that originates from the east coast. From her earliest childhood on, the brain surgeon has had to deal with the press and public interest in private matters.

Jeffrey D. Morgan, on the opposite side, has not the vast experience of his wife. His being known by the tabloids and the press was a direct result of his marriage with Sandra Oh. The popularity he enjoys today came much later, though. When being offered the chance to work with MTV on a new show called "Pimp my Ride" he had agreed to start this reality project of.

Today, there is not one person between the ages of 16 and 40 that does not know the name J.D. Morgan. The show is a huge success even after the fifth season, and so Jeffrey D. Morgan is no longer known as the husband of Sandra Oh, but rather the other way around, Sandra Morgan is the wife of the famous owner of SaMorgan Customs.

And so the Morgan family steers through the people on the carpet, dutifully answering questions and smiling for the press. It is nothing new, and steadily they make their way to the entrance. Sandra Morgan finds her best friend Teri Hatcher talking to a reporter and joins her to impart some of her wisdom and opinions on the man.

While their parents are busy with the media, the children spread out and look for their respective friends. While Charisma enjoys the flattering of her high school clique and her brother, Masi, Jensen and Wentworth find their friend David and leave the excitement behind.

Since the press has no access to the gallery for the evening, it is much calmer inside the building, and the four young men take advantage of the momentary reprieve. They know that once their families are finished outside, their mothers will keep them from relaxing for the rest of the evening.

The former hotel has had a complete overhaul, and now the gallery inhabiting the building takes up half of the rooms. The entrance area has been decorated in a tropical style for the opening with potted plants, palm trees, dozens of orchids, and other tropical plants. One wall is covered with vines and leaves of passion flowers.

The reception has been transformed for the evening into a bar, and the four young men head over to the counter to get a drink before everyone has come inside and it will be more difficult to order a drink without a long wait.

The three oldest Morgan siblings and David Hatcher receive their drinks and decide upon strolling through the rooms close to the entrance to keep an eye on the progress outside. The decor of the rooms is very tasteful and especially chosen not to distract the visitors from perusing the art exhibited. Many of the pictures and the photos that are hung are from famous contemporary artists, and when they find themselves in a room with only David LaChapelle photographs, the excitement is to be felt in every one of them.

There is no doubt that Jared Padalecki is the best in his field of profession and that the gallery is a welcome addition to the offers of Third Street.

Slowly the rooms get more crowded as the celebrities that have so far been crowding the red carpet are milling inside. Together, the four young men weave through the crowd on the look out for their families. There are strict behavioural rules for this evening that are to be obeyed. Sandra Morgan as well as Teri Hatcher has made sure that nobody gets the possibility to compromise the union of Jared Padalecki and Charisma Morgan.

The two mothers are situated advantageously to keep the entrance in their field of vision and to ensure that they are they are the first ones to be seen when entering the building. Charisma Morgan's attention is diverted from the hunt for her future husband by a group of her friends that have gathered next to the cocktail bar. With barely concealed envy, she watches her brother gossiping about the newest scandals and commenting on today's crowd, outfits, and hairdos.

Jeffrey D. Morgan can be seen on the other side of the room talking with three other council members. There is much satisfaction in their expressions, and it is obvious to everyone who deigns to listen that they are very pleased with how the gallery has turned out.

After everyone has gathered inside, there is the noise of the media going into a frenzy. Many of the people crowd close to the entrance to get a look at what caused this ecstatic flashing of cameras. The murmuring starts, and soon everyone knows that Mr. Jared Padalecki has arrived with his entourage. The gathered crowd has to wait some more minutes until they get the chance to lay eyes on the star of the evening.

Now there are many well-built young men to be found in this room, but rarely is there to be found a young person with so much kindness and cheerfulness in his countenance as Jared Padalecki. None of the persons present that evening will later on be able to say one negative word about the young man, which is a feat almost impossible to meet.

It goes without saying that Sandra Morgan makes sure that she is one of the first to talk to Mr. Jared Padalecki. Most of the time it is impossible for her to be subtle about any thing she feels passionately about, but this time she feels she has to congratulate herself on a move well executed.

What happens, though, is not something she has been expecting and therefore has no plan for. When the young host of the evening moves further into the room away from the clutches of Mrs. Parker, who, in her precious opinion, is not the right society for Mr. Padalecki, Sandra Morgan accidentally blocks Mr. Padalecki's way. Turning around, she smiles sympathetically at him.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Padalecki."

"Oh don't you worry, Mrs. Morgan. Nothing of our glasses got spilled on the other person, and so neither we nor our clothes came to any harm." The smile that accompanies the reply is the most endearing smile and assures her of the importance of the match between her daughter and this man.

"I have to say that this is a very beautiful reception. There has been much talk about the gallery, and I have to admit that we all were rather curious about how it would turn out."

Jared Padalecki thanks her for the compliment and asks her about her impression of the art exhibited, which gives Sandra Morgan the possibility to gush some more about the excellent taste of the host and the fame of the Padalecki galleries. Finally, the young man asks about her family, and she gets the prefect chance to present her daughter.

"This is my youngest, and my only daughter, Charisma Morgan. She is a great supporter of the arts and was even responsible for picking the design of the cheerleading outfits this season."

If there is one thing that can be said with certainty about Charisma Morgan, it is that she is anything but interested in art by the classical definition. Some might think her to be a shallow, materialistic young woman, but her mother never fails to point out the variations of contemporary art and that there is a piece of greatness and art in every thing.

Mr. Jared Padalecki smiles kindly at her and enquires about the rest of the family. Grudgingly, Sandra Morgan has to pause in her capture of the young man to introduce the rest of the family. She points out her youngest son, her husband, and her second youngest son. After a short scan of the crowd, she is even able to point out her two oldest sons to the young man.

Had Mrs. Morgan been any more perceptive, she would have noticed the change in Jared Padalecki's posture and expression when his eyes came to rest on Jensen Morgan. All her energy would have been more wisely spent if she had listened to her husband from the beginning and concentrated on her gay son rather than her daughter. Unbeknownst to Sandra Morgan, who does her best to praise the modelling skills of Charisma and her attitudes towards the newest trends in the fashion business, Jared Padalecki's eyes follow Jensen Morgan through the room.

The chance to get to talk to the object of his interest comes when the two brothers join their mother and sister to inform them about their intention to tour the gallery and take a look at the exhibits on the upper floors as well. Mr. Padalecki eagerly offers himself as a guide through the rooms. This is met by much protestation from Sandra Morgan's side.

Only the appearance of Jeffrey D. Morgan keeps her from voicing her displeasure about the development aloud. Dutifully, she indulges her husband in meeting the new wife of Malcolm McDowell. The young woman is new to Santa Monica's society and in dire need of some help with how to deal with the local elite.

And so it happens that Jared Padalecki leads Jensen and Wentworth Morgan through the gallery, explaining the various concepts and pointing out his favourites. It is apparent that he favours Jensen Morgan above all other people present, and Wentworth Morgan keeps in the back to allow the two men some privacy.

On the second floor, they stop in a room with pieces of Abstract Expressionism. Stepping back and perusing the canvas on the wall in front of him, Wentworth tunes his brother and Jared Padalecki out. He prefers to actually study the paintings instead of watching the two other men flirt.

Just as he is about to move to the next painting, he gets called over to where he finds his brother not only in the company of Jared Padalecki but also a small group of people consisting of three men and a woman. He is introduced to the strangers and finds out that they are Mr. Padalecki's brother Milo Padalecki, his sister Kate Miles with her husband Ben Miles, and Jared Padalecki's oldest and best friend Hugh Laurie.

At the introduction to the last, Wentworth feels a nervous flutter. There is no-one that has not heard of the famous Hugh Laurie, art critic extraordinaire. An artist's fame and success can depend on a single word of Mr. Laurie. His refined taste and his profound knowledge are valued all around the world.

Together they continue through the exhibition rooms. This time, Wentworth hesitates about giving his opinion on the pieces of art, fearing the repercussions from the famed art critic that is now in their group.

Back on the first floor, the group comes across the rest of the Morgan family, and Sandra Morgan uses the chance to once more point out her daughter's proficiency in the area of art, remarking especially on the interest the young woman shows in the photographs displayed in the room.

"It is no great difficulty for girls to be interested in fashion photography." Hugh Laurie is the only one responding to her monologue about the advantages of a woman interested in art.

"Why, I don't see any difference in the artistic value of one of these photographs compared to some of those stuffy old paintings everyone loves to show. At least the photos are nice to look at and are a modern form of media." Sandra Morgan makes sure to show that she does not value the opinion of anybody else but herself.

The situation is about to get out of hand until Jared Padalecki points out the value and merits of contemporary and classic art. He then invites everyone to the bar to get a drink. The argument has stopped, but it is clear to everyone present that there will never be any understanding between Sandra Morgan and Hugh Laurie.

Wentworth Morgan worries about the impact his mother's hostility towards Jared Padalecki's best friend will have on the tender feelings that are about to blossom between his older brother and their host.

Now it has to be said here that Wentworth Morgan has always felt responsible for his older brother's well-being. The close bond between the two brothers created over time the protective feeling that has, many times in the past, led to the younger of the two brothers protecting the older. Although it has already been pointed out that Jensen Morgan has been acting on many occasions as the protector of the siblings, the truth is that Wentworth Morgan is the guardian of his older brother.

There have been times in the past when the rational and ordered nature of the younger Morgan sibling prevented Jensen Morgan from coming to harm.

The tense atmosphere lessens as the group gathers at the bar. Jeffrey D. Morgan joins them together with Malcolm McDowell and Edward Herrmann, who are also on the city council. The talk becomes more political, and the three council members question Jared Padalecki about his intentions concerning social topics.

This change in the conversation vexes Sandra Morgan greatly, and more than once she tries to resume her praise of her daughter's abilities. Her efforts are not successful, and so she can only endure the trying talks about city projects and politics.

Talk comes more easily as time passes by, and soon the group has split into smaller bands of two or three people that converse about their preferred topics. Wentworth Morgan discusses his impressions of the gallery with his friend David Hatcher and Alona Tal, the young wife of Mr. Malcolm McDowell. They are talking about the photojournalism exhibits when he gets interrupted in commenting on a photo he especially liked.

"It doesn't really surprise me that you have no more taste and knowledge about art than your esteemed mother."

"Well, not everyone can be as knowledgeable as you, Mr. Laurie." The attention from Hugh Laurie is unexpected as well as unwanted, and Wentworth Morgan, who at times has been known to judge and act before deeper reflection of the situation or the eventual consequences, makes sure to show Mr. Laurie just how unwanted his comment is.

"That might very well be true, but then again, most people know better than to talk about something they know nothing about." The words are said with much contempt and pride.

"Alas, you are to endure the silly talk of the brainless today. How you must suffer."

This comment is not met with a reply and Wentworth sends a glare at the other man to once more convey his negative feelings towards him.

For the rest of the evening, the second oldest son of the Morgan family makes sure to stay clear of Hugh Laurie. Every time he notices the older man watching him or listening in on their talk, he makes sure to comment on the lack of gentleman-like behaviour with most men.

The opening goes on well into the night, and when it is time to disband, it has become quite clear, even to Sandra Morgan, that her daughter will never marry the eligible Jared Padalecki, since the young man shows great interest in Jensen Morgan and rarely parts from the oldest brother's side.

The only comfort for Mrs. Morgan is that it is one of her children that caught the interest of her intended prey. And so they part, and after promising to call on each other, the respective groups leave for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

# Chapter IV

At home, the Morgan family says its goodnights, and the family members prepare to rest. There is a general joy that can be observed, and that ensures the tranquillity of Sandra Morgan's nerves.

Before retiring, Wentworth sneaks into Jensen's room. He wants to share his impressions of the evening and the night with his brother, and most of all, he wants to question him about Jared Padalecki. Making sure that the other family members are already abed and will not intrude, he silently closes the bedroom door and sits on the bed, waiting for Jensen to join him.

When the other brother finds Wentworth waiting, they talk to their heart's delight about what transpired earlier on, and Jensen admits being attracted to Mr. Padalecki. He also describes in great detail the kindness and goodwill he discovered in Jared Padalecki's siblings.

"But you have to admit that his friend is of an abominable nature. His disposition is of one who takes pleasure in other people's failures, small as they might be." Wentworth feels that there is much more to be said about Mr. Hugh Laurie's failings, but he leaves it at what he has said when he notices his brother's state of agitation.

Jensen, of course, agrees with Wentworth that Hugh Laurie behaved very ill, but he argues that their connection is much too recent to come to a proper judgement about the man's character.

"You have to see good in everyone. I wonder about what has to transpire to make you think ill of a person, Jensen."

"Wentworth, it does not do any good to rashly come to a decision about something as important and precarious as a person's character and value."

After finding some more fault with Jensen's take on the situation, Wentworth agrees that Hugh Laurie was not the only person behaving wrongly this evening, and that their mother's pursuit of Jared Padalecki caused some awkward situations and painful silences.

In the end, the two brothers say their goodnights and get settled for the rest of the night, the minds of both young men full of impressions and memories about what transpired at the opening.

At the same time that the two oldest Morgan brothers are sharing their opinions and feelings about the vernissage at the new Padalecki gallery, Jared Padalecki finds himself together with his siblings on the beach terrace of Hugh Laurie's villa. His thoughts are still with the charming young man he met, and his admiration goes so far that he considers calling on the Morgan's the very next morning.

His approval of the Morgan family is not shared by all the people lounging on the terrace. His brothers Milo Padalecki and Hugh Laurie are the greatest critics of the group, and they do not tire to point out the fault of each family member.

"Come on, Laurie. It was a pleasant evening with many charming people."

"I never had the misfortune to meet more disagreeable people at once. And this woman, Sandra Morgan, is by far the stupidest and most annoying person that crossed my path." It comes as no surprise that Hugh Laurie is the first to express his displeasure about the encounter with the Morgan family.

"Too true. And the children are as bad as her." Milo Padalecki is of the same opinion as Mr. Laurie. He comments on the lack of decorum in the two youngest siblings and the common appearance of the second oldest son. The only one that garners any good response is the oldest brother, who, in his eyes, is the only member of the family that has the making of a fine and intelligent young man.

Jared Padalecki's attempts to paint the rest of the family members in a good light fail when Hugh Laurie makes him admit that the mother's constant praises of her daughter were most unwelcome and created more than one moment of awkward silence.

"But you have to admit that their oldest son, Jensen Morgan, is a sight to behold."

"Jared, I admit that he was the best looking person present, excluding the present company, but as for the rest, I readily admit that it will not be a day too soon if I don't have to meet any of them again."

Milo Padalecki and Kate Miles agree that they are happy to get to know Jensen Morgan better and suggest inviting him to their upcoming trip to Las Vegas. Their enthusiasm is not diminished by Mr. Laurie's protestation that he would rather not take a stranger with them on their trip.

"Hugh, you just admitted that you think him to be a person worth getting to know." Jared Padalecki feels the need to defend the person that so easily and successfully captured his interest.

"I never said such a thing, I only remarked that he is good looking, but I do not see how Jensen Morgan's looks have any impact on his IQ. For my tastes, he was a little bit too insipid. I prefer a little more fire in my conversational partner."

"He is by no means insipid, and his younger brother, the one whose intelligence you insulted, has fire, as you so delicately put it. I didn't see you getting along with him either."

Hugh Laurie then proceeds to list all the faults of Wentworth Morgan and the exact way the young man's character flaws insulted him. He then continues to point out the failings of the Morgans, which, by his account, only justify his reasoning.

"Dear God, Hugh! Listening to your portrayal of the family, one must believe them to be idiots. I am sure that should they be as faulty as you say, then they would be quite incapable of living," is Mr. Padalecki's amused comment.

The argument continues some more until Mrs. Miles refers to the lateness of the hour and the company decides to get some rest. There will be enough time to discuss the events of the evening in the morning, and some current unfavourable impressions might seem less offending in the light of a new day. And so the group retires for the night, each thinking about what transpired at the opening of the gallery, some more favourably than others.

 

# Chapter V

The next morning, the Morgan household is still all excitement because of the opening party, and Sandra Morgan spends half of the time praising Jared Padalecki's good looks and fine character, and she spends the other half of the time ranting about the abominable behaviour of Hugh Laurie and how she will not tolerate this insufferable person insulting her children.

Jeffrey D. Morgan does his best to ignore the talk at the breakfast table, and only when his wife starts commenting on the straps of Mrs. Miles' sandals does he stop the constant talking with a firm hand on the table and some remarks about the unimportance of straps and sandals. He is aware of the consequences his action will have, but the rapture about shoe laces of whatever type is not something he can handle at such an ungodly hour in the morning.

"You do this on purpose, Jeff. Just to vex me." Sandra Morgan is not willing to admit defeat and decides to stay with the topic of stylish shoe-wear. "I talked with several ladies about the sandals of Mrs. Miles, and we all agreed that only a Manolo Blahnik is of a better quality than the sandal she wore last night."

"And if Mr. Blahnik would have been there wearing those sandals, it would not interest me any more than this story does." Jeffrey D. Morgan's absolute disregard of trends and style in shoe fashion is met with much scolding from Sandra Morgan's side and an outraged cry from Charisma Morgan, who had just now been contemplating the merits of a new pair of summer sandals.

"Even if you cannot, or in your case, most likely, will not understand the finer points of fashionable clothes and shoes, you cannot condone the way this insufferable man slighted our Wentworth."

"He slighted our Wentworth?"

"Why yes, you were present when it happened, how could you have missed it?" Words escape Mrs. Morgan to express just how slighted their son was by her newest nemesis. "Tell you father what he said, Wentworth, for he has to see what dreadful company young Mr. Padalecki keeps."

"Mother, please." It is clear that the second oldest Morgan son is not as eager as their mother to reveal the impropriety that is Mr. Laurie.

"Well, if Mr. Hugh Laurie insulted or slighted our son, who is the only one with any wit in this family, then he is not worth our notice." The advice is directed at his wife, but the encouraging smile is for Wentworth and is meant to convey encouragement to ignore the much discussed Mr. Laurie as well as Mrs. Morgan. "I'd say that the next time he tries to impart his valuable opinion on you, you do not listen at all."

"Rest assured, father, that at no time in the future will I ever care for Mr. Laurie's opinion."

The rest of the breakfast is then eaten in silence since Mr. Morgan makes it clear once more that he does not care for recounts of last night's happenings and outfits. The restriction has Sandra Morgan depart for her yoga chamber shortly after the broken fast, and the rest of the family enjoys the peace by planning the rest of the day.

It is decided that the siblings will go to the new club that has become this summer's place to go to. The previous owner sold the place because of the lack of guests, and now Michael Rosenbaum has transformed the establishment into a hip and cool dancing bar that attracts the rich and famous youth of Santa Monica.

Just as the young generation of the Morgan clan is about to depart for the beach, a call delays the excursion. It comes as no real surprise that the caller is none other than Jared Padalecki and that the recipient of the call is the oldest Morgan brother, Jensen.

Wentworth is the only one to stay behind and wait for Jensen while the others make their way to get a good place in the sun. He sits on the stairs and pretends not to listen in on the conversation. Instead, he ponders what he and his older brother had talked about last night before going to sleep. It is somewhat of a miracle to Wentworth how Jensen managed to be so positive about life and tolerant of people's behaviour after living for almost twenty years under one roof with their mother.

Where Jensen Morgan is always the one seeing good in every person, Wentworth is more than willing to believe something bad about others. It is not like he wants the world to be bad, but he is realistic enough to know that it is much more likely to be true that a person is dishonest than that the person is honest.

Some say that such a view on life and humankind is much too pessimistic, most of all in a person so young, but Wentworth does not tire to point out the wisdom in being cautious. After all, his suspicion of other people's behaviour has helped him various times in the past by keeping others from getting the better of him.

Jensen Morgan's demeanour changes halfway through the conversation, and from the part of the dialogue that Wentworth is able to hear, it becomes clear that an invitation is being issued.

"Jared Padalecki is interested in coming to Rosenbaum's tonight." The oldest brother informs Wentworth about the resolution of the conversation.

The younger brother comments on Mr. Padalecki's eagerness to get better acquainted with Jensen and praises him for the good catch he made. Wentworth even concedes that Mr. Padalecki appears to be a refreshing change from the usual people that belong to high society.

"And he will bring his siblings and his friend with him."

"Oh dear, are we to be subjected to the displeasure of Mr. Laurie's presence again so soon after last night?"

"Wentworth, please! I am sure that Hugh Laurie is not the villain mother makes him out to be, and we should give him the chance to redeem himself." This request for redemption stems not only from the generous nature that is Jensen Morgan, but also from the wish to have his favourite sibling get along with Jared Padalecki's oldest and best friend.

"I cannot understand how you can see the best in everyone."

"Well, you only see the worst in everyone."

"In short, we balance each other out." Wentworth's conclusion raises a laugh from both brothers, and in the time it takes them to find their way back to their inner tranquillity, they arrive at the beach and join their siblings in sunbathing and enjoying the hot summer day.

 

# Chapter VI

It is a universal truth that a person in love is ten times more beautiful. This law of nature is proven right by Jensen Morgan, whose usual timeless beauty is intensified by anticipating the meeting with Jared Padalecki.

The whole evening while preparing for the night's outing to the bar, the Morgan family has to endure Sandra Morgan's complaints about a particularly nasty headache. Jeffrey D. Morgan's offer to get some painkillers from the pharmacy is met with pained wails and scathing remarks about unloving husbands. It is clear to everyone that the migraine attack that has Sandra Morgan suffering so badly is not only because of the weather – which has not changed in the last two weeks – but is also the result of the abruptly ended conversation about shoe fashion at the breakfast table.

The siblings avoid crossing paths with their mother, and only Charisma tries once to cheer Mrs. Morgan up by informing her about Jared Padalecki's intention to join them at the club. Surprisingly, this good news causes some more headaches, and Sandra Morgan informs the whole house with her wailing about the pitiable condition of her head.

All this pain and drama has no impact on Jensen Morgan's good mood, and Wentworth is happy to notice a cheerful excitement where the get together with Mr. Padalecki is concerned. This anticipation is rarely to be seen with the oldest brother, and therefore is even more beautiful to behold.

At nine p.m., the Morgan siblings, without Masi Morgan, are soon prepared for their night of clubbing, and when the driver picks them up, they quickly leave to avoid their mother and her headache. It has been known that Mrs. Morgan's poor health transferred to her children, leaving them too exhausted to leave the house for at least a night.

The long queue in front of the club does not stop the four siblings, and they get into the establishment without waiting, thanks to their father being a good friend of the club's owner. Their family's fame ensures that there is no complaining from the queuing people whose curious stares follow them inside.

The furniture of the club is sleek and modern and made of brushed steel and leather. The walls and parts of the ceiling are one gigantic aquarium. Colourful fish, plants, and sea creatures are illuminated in fluorescent blue light.

Tom and Charisma Morgan made a reservation, and now the siblings are seated in the back of the club where it is still possible to keep an eye on the dance floor but the noise level is much lower. It is easy to see that all four siblings are waiting for their guests, and the level of anxiousness rises with every minute that passes.

Although all are awaiting Jared Padalecki and his entourage, the reasons for anxiousness are varied. Whereas Charisma and Tom are just anxious as a matter of principle, Jensen Morgan feels a nervous flutter thinking about the charming young man that has taken a liking to him. Wentworth's reason for anxiousness is somewhat different. The reason for the nervous fluttering in his stomach is not happy anticipation, but more of a displeased nature. The remarks about his intelligence that were made are still smarting him, and the wish and desire for retaliation is great.

Drinks are ordered, and Charisma's and Tom's high school clique is soon settling in at the table next to them. Idle chatter shortens the waiting time, and so none of them notice the time that goes by. Sooner than they thought, the party is joined by the five members of the Padalecki-Laurie entourage.

Jared Padalecki's demeanour is of such joy and exuberance that the mood at both tables raises with his arrival, and soon everyone is settled and sipping on a drink.

From the moment of his arrival, Mr. Padalecki singles out Jensen Morgan, and his focus is rarely diverted from his chosen conversational companion. This single-mindedness does not allow anybody else to participate in the conversation, and so small groups are created to allow easier conversation.

To his dismay, Wentworth has to notice that his group does not only exclude his siblings and their friends, but also includes Milo Padalecki, Mr. and Mrs. Miles, and of course, Hugh Laurie. For the first couple of minutes, he pretends to listen to the conversation that apparently revolves around a new artistic talent that has the New York art scene in an uproar. Once the talk becomes more and more in-depth about various cultural instances and the who's who of the scene, Wentworth tunes the group out and tries to listen in on the neighbouring table.

"Aren't you of the same opinion, Mr. Morgan?"

At first, Milo Padalecki's question does not cause a reaction from Wentworth, but when he feels four pairs of eyes on him, he glances at the group, becoming aware of the focus on his person.

"I am afraid I was not very attentive."

"We were just talking about Philip Pearlstein and his personal style. I was wondering if you thought his paintings to be rather intriguing as well."

Now it has to be said here that Milo Padalecki is a person whose airs are not to everyone's liking, and Wentworth, who is already inclined to dislike the whole Padalecki entourage, cannot help but find fault with the other man's tone of voice and demeanour.

"So you do not care for contemporary art. You prefer more trivial diversion."

"I do not recall doing anything that might merit such censor. I do not overly care much for trivial diversion and contemporary art interests me." It vexes Wentworth that the young man seems to find fault with him although they did not exchange words before.

"So you do care for the New York art scene?"

It is quite clear that Milo Padalecki dislikes Wentworth Morgan. The disdain that colours voice and eyes leaves little to the imagination about how disagreeable the young man is to him. The situation is about to get more out of hand, but, surprisingly, it is Mr. Laurie who deigns to pour oil on troubled water.

"I am sure that Mr. Morgan prefers local museums and galleries to the New York art scene. How did you like the Takashi Murakami exhibition at the MOCA?"

The question surprises Wentworth because of the artist asked after, and the person who posed it. It almost seems like Hugh Laurie is making an attempt to help him, but Wentworth knows that this cannot be the case. Mr. Laurie is an abominable person who thinks him to be unimaginative and idiotic. There is no way that the question asked is anything but an attempt to ridicule him further.

"I did not yet have the time to visit the exhibition, but the review in the Los Angeles Times was very positive and recommended the exhibition. I am planning to visit the MOCA soon."

It is a very pleasant development that Jensen and Jared Padalecki join the discussion, and so Wentworth is spared Mr. Laurie's scathing remarks about his tastes and knowledge of the arts. The conversation continues to revolve around the topic of young artists and the challenges of today's time and art culture. It is a topic that Wentworth chooses not to discuss with certain persons present, and so he listens to the argument that has Mr. Padalecki and Mr. Laurie commenting on society and pop culture.

Just as he is about to abandon the group for a more interesting conversation at the neighbouring table, Mr. Hugh Laurie once more directs a question at Wentworth.

"What is your opinion on the commercialisation of classical art, especially with the examples of the Centre Pompidou and the Musée du Louvre?"

"I would not dare to assume that I know anything of value about such a controversial topic." The young Morgan grants the table with a kind smile. It is obvious to everyone who knows Wentworth Morgan that he is preparing for a confrontation.

When Jared Padalecki also asks him to share his opinion on the topic, Wentworth excuses himself and leaves the table. He disappears into the crowd on the dance floor, where he finds David and a colleague from university. For the rest of the evening, he does not return to the table, successfully avoiding conversation with Hugh Laurie or the disagreeable Milo Padalecki.


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter VII

The weeks after the joint outing to Rosenbaum's club are littered with invitations from Jared Padalecki – sometimes for Jensen Morgan alone, but sometimes for Wentworth Morgan as well. The desire to avoid another confrontation with Mr. Hugh Laurie has the second oldest Morgan scion declining invitations more often than not.

Surprisingly, Sandra Morgan's dreadful headache disappeared soon after its appearance and has not returned so far. Two days after the gallery opening, she invited her friend Teri Hatcher over, and after hiding out in the yoga chamber for half a day, the two women returned with plans of how Jensen Morgan was to ensnare, seduce, and capture Jared Padalecki.

Jeffrey D. Morgan's comment on the natural progress of the relation between the oldest son and the fought-about Padalecki offspring is met with condescending remarks about men's lack of understanding of emotions and subtleness.

With a vigour that equals the pre-opening excitement, Sandra Morgan starts a campaign that she titles "Artistic Medicine" to underline the future alliance between her son and the intended son-in-law. One afternoon as she sits and discusses the current progress of project "Artistic Medicine" with her friend Teri Hatcher, she can be heard to say: "Isn't it a fortunate coincidence that one of my sons is gay? I always knew that my Jensen couldn't be so beautiful and gay for nothing."

Both women agree that fate has everything to do with the match between the two young men, and they never tire to point out to everyone who deigns to listen – even to many who listen most unwillingly – that Jared Padalecki is the luckiest young man in the United States for going out with Jensen Morgan.

Even the occasional reprimand from Jeffrey D. Morgan cannot rein the two women in. In the end, there is no other topic for the parent generation of the Santa Monica community but the fateful meeting of Jensen Morgan and Jared Padalecki.

The younger generations are somehow able to avoid the excitement that has mothers congratulating Sandra Morgan for the good match. The younger Morgan siblings spend most of their time during the day at the beach or shopping. During the night, Michael Rosenbaum's club is the place to be, and so the days turn into weeks, during which the group of young men and women do naught else but relax and enjoy the days.

The times when Wentworth diverts himself by visiting David Hatcher, who is his best friend, grow in frequency. In the past, he was joined by his older brother Jensen for these outings, but with Jared Padalecki calling almost daily, the second oldest Morgan offspring finds himself alone and in need of diversion.

During the second week, Keiko Lee calls him and invites him to visit her in North Las Vegas. His course colleague from college stays with her brother during the summer holidays and is in dire need of distraction from the boredom that has her in its grasp. It doesn't take a lot of convincing to have Jeffrey D. Morgan agree to let him visit his friend, and so Wentworth starts preparing for his departure to Nevada.

It comes as a surprise, though, that at the same time Wentworth receives his invitation to North Las Vegas, Jensen Morgan receives an invitation as well. It is not a college friend that invites the young Morgan heir, but the destination sounds strangely familiar.

Las Vegas is the name of the place to go, and the reason is none other than Mr. Padalecki. The young man is to visit the diverse city with his family and his friend, and he extends an invitation to the object of his affection.

When Jared Padalecki hears about Wentworth Morgan's trip to North Las Vegas, he offers to take the other Morgan son with them on his private jet as well and invites Wentworth to stay the last two days of the trip with the rest of the group in Las Vegas.

The time between the planning of the journey and the departure is filled with two parties that are both hosted by friends of the family. It is an unwelcome surprise for Wentworth to find the abominable Mr. Laurie at both of the parties, but Jensen Morgan's wish for his family to get along with Mr. Padalecki's entourage reins Wentworth's tongue in.

It helps that David Hatcher is at both of those parties and that Wentworth can avoid having to talk to anybody else by staying close to his friend. What intrigues him, though, is the seemingly single-minded persistence with which Mr. Laurie searches Wentworth out and tries to goad the young man into sharing his opinion on various topics with him.

Not only the arts and culture are of interest to Hugh Laurie, but Wentworth Morgan's opinion on the Live Earth movement, the involvement of David de Rothschild in various ecology projects, and the trend towards (Product)RED™ in the fashion industry are of equal interest to the renowned critic.

The day before the collective departure to Las Vegas, the second oldest Morgan son decides to avoid the partying crowd, and he deems it of importance to see the Medieval Beasts exhibition at the Getty. The reviews of the exhibition promised a unique experience, and the desire to avoid another run-in with Mr. Laurie at another society gathering is just the right amount of motivation to visit the museum.

The fine weather outside causes not only sun-burnt skin and golden tan galore, but also results in almost non-existent queues at the ticket booth of the museum. Eager to learn something new and enjoying the air-conditioning inside the building, Wentworth Morgan starts his exploration of the Getty, slowly heading towards the medieval exhibition.

In the past, the young Morgan visited every medieval themed exhibition that had been featured. His interest in this particular period of history caused many taunts from school colleagues and family friends, but to the date, nobody has been able to vanquish the interest, and it can be safely said that Wentworth enjoys any outing that involves his favourite research topic.

Last semester at college, he joined a group of history majors who headed for Greeley, Colorado, where a medieval festival with a market took place around the beginning of June. Although not everything re-enacted and displayed was one-hundred percent historic, the trip to the festival had been very pleasant and the group had disbanded after promising to see the festival next year again.

The rooms are rather devoid of people, but Wentworth Morgan prefers the silence and tranquillity that accompanies the lack of people to the noise and excitement that is his everyday life at the moment. The exhibits are beautifully crafted pages of medieval books that impressively show the splendour and skilful calligraphy of days long gone by.

A Franco Flemish rendering of a dragon captures his interest, and his perusal of the carefully painted magical creature has him in its thrall. He doesn't even notice the person stopping in front of the showcase next to him. The noise of a throat being cleared makes him look up, though.

His first instinct is to turn around and leave the room. Upon further contemplation, Wentworth steels himself and fully turns toward the most unwelcome newcomer. It is clear that this confrontation will be uncomfortable for at least one of the two men.

"What a surprise meeting you here, Mr. Laurie."

"I take it it is not a pleasure, though." The charming smile has rather the opposite effect, and it strengthens Wentworth Morgan's resolve to dislike the man.

"Well, life cannot always be about pleasure, right? May I inquire about what brings you here at this particular time?"

"You may, and I am not against telling you that I enquired after your whereabouts when you did not join your illustrious siblings at the beach. Your older brother informed me about the choice of your preferred outing. I have to say that I commend your choice."

"Thank god. For it is my greatest wish to find your approval, Mr. Laurie. Now that I have it, I may rest assured that one day I might not be considered mentally challenged anymore."

To avoid further talking with the taxing Hugh Laurie, Wentworth Morgan says his goodbyes and makes to leave. He regrets not being able to see the entire exhibition, but he flat out refuses to be taunted by this man. Without a further comment, the young man braves the hot weather outside as he makes his way back home, where he will change to join his family at the beach.

His good mood takes half of the day to return, and by the time he finds enough amusement in the happenings around him to join in the occasional laughter, Wentworth Morgan has decided to never let the presence of Hugh Laurie get to him like this again.

 

# Chapter VIII

It is a pleasant morning when the two oldest Morgan brothers leave for Nevada in the company of none other than Jared Padalecki, his siblings, and, of course, his best friend, Hugh Laurie. After exchanging pleasantries and the required remarks about outfits and accessories, the party boards the private jet and settles comfortably in for the flight.

The next hour is spent with idle chat. Milo Padalecki entertains the party with stories about his friends in New York and the theatre politics of the Broadway. After listening to stories about the lives of people unknown to him for twenty minutes, Wentworth Morgan decides to amuse himself with reading the new Harry Potter book. Anything is better than stories about theatre rehearsals.

It comes as no real surprise to Wentworth, though, that his attempt at individual entertainment is boycotted by Milo Padalecki.

"Mr. Wentworth Morgan does not care for theatre or the art scene in New York. He takes no pleasure in entertainment, and rather prefers to read a children's book instead."

"There is no need for such censor. I enjoy theatre and art greatly, and I prefer reading adult books to children books." To emphasise the statement, the young Morgan closes the book again and puts it down in his lap.

"I have not heard you participate in our conversation, though."

Whatever response Wentworth Morgan has for the taunt is stopped by Jared Padalecki's attempt to avoid an argument. The conversation takes a turn and revolves now around the reason for the party going to Las Vegas. In an attempt to prove Milo Padalecki's accusation of disinterest in anybody else wrong, Wentworth Padalecki elaborates on his reason for travelling to North Las Vegas.

His remarks about his friend Keiko Lee is interrupted when the pilot announces that they are approaching the Las Vegas airport. The party stops all interaction, and the next minutes are spent in silence. Wentworth Morgan anticipates his departure from the group and already dreads his return to them. The desire to spend more time with Milo Padalecki and Hugh Laurie is somewhat limited. The only reason he refrains from booking a return flight without his travel companions is that he knows his brother would be embarrassed about it.

Inside the airport, the younger Morgan offspring departs from the group and joins his friend and her older brother, who are already awaiting his arrival in the arrival hall. He promises Jensen to call every day and inform them early enough in advance about when he is going to rejoin them in Las Vegas.

Keiko Lee is a kind if somewhat energetic young woman. It came as a surprise to everyone that Wentworth Morgan and the lively young woman became such fast friends. At first look, the two young people are exact opposites, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that both are people that feel very passionately about the things they like.

After the course they had both attended had been over, both agreed on taking one course each term together. This has sometimes been difficult to manage since both study different majors and Wentworth Morgan's Law classes often clash with Keiko Lee's communication courses. So far, they had attended courses in gender studies, antique languages, and a very interesting philosophy class.

The house where James K. Lee lives in North Las Vegas is much smaller than what Wentworth is used to at home, but the warmth with which the two siblings take him in make the young Morgan feel at home right away.

Keiko and Wentworth spend the next days exploring the community of North Las Vegas with occasional ventures into Las Vegas City. Conversation flows freely, and after the third day Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ali Larter, and Leonard Roberts join them, and the friends eagerly share their holiday experiences, which vary from Wentworth's recaps about the gallery opening to Ali and Leonard breaking their relationship to the rest of the group.

The time until Wentworth Morgan has to part with his college friends passes too fast, and sooner than it pleases him, the young Morgan has to leave for Las Vegas to rejoin the party of Jared Padalecki and his brother Jensen Morgan. Promises to meet up in Santa Monica at the end of the summer are made, and Wentworth calls his brother the last time from the Lee house to inform him about Wentworth's departure from North Las Vegas in the afternoon.

Goodbyes are said, and in the evening, Wentworth Morgan braves the Las Vegas nightlife not with his friends but with the Padalecki entourage and Jared Padalecki himself, since Jensen Morgan feels unwell from the fish and crabs he had for lunch. Without success, Wentworth tries to convince his older brother to let him stay with him. In the end, the younger of the two brothers promises to be on his best behaviour and try to get along even with the much despised Mr. Laurie.

The party heads out to a cocktail reception due to an invitation that was extended to Hugh Laurie, but after two hours of small talk over hors d'oeuvre and ridiculously expensive champagne, the party leaves, and it is decided that they party during their last evening before the departure back to Los Angeles.

The Club is full of people, but it is no problem for them to get in, and once inside the building, a table is quickly secured. The ambience is very different from Rosenbaum's, but the crowd is almost the same.

Wentworth Morgan watches the crowd for some time when Milo Padalecki saunters up to the table from the dance floor.

"Wentworth, may I induce you to come out to the dance floor and join me for a dance? It is so liberating."

The first impulse is a definitive 'No,' but the promise made to his older brother has Wentworth Morgan agree to the dancing, and soon he finds himself gyrating between hot and sweaty bodies on the stuffed dance floor. The whole time he dances, the young man has the distant impression that eyes are resting on him, and when a turn has him facing their table, he notices Hugh Laurie watching his every move.

But Wentworth Morgan is not the only one noticing Mr. Laurie's fascination with the young man, and so Milo Padalecki drags his dancing partner up to the unabashed voyeur.

"Why don't you join us with the dancing? I insist on your joining us."

"But that would defeat the purpose."

The statement surprises Wentworth Morgan, but before he can wonder about the meaning, Milo Padalecki voices his displeasure about the refusal.

"How terrible of you. But tell me what you mean by this?"

When an answer does not come in the next seconds, Milo Padalecki asks until Hugh Laurie deigns it the right time to reveal the secret message.

"Well, there can only be two reasons for you to dance out there on the dance floor, and I would intrude on both accounts. The first reason would be to talk away from us and share some secrets. If so, I ought not come between the both of you. The second reason would be to show your figure off on the dance floor, and my joining you would make it impossible to admire them properly."

The explanation has the table laughing, and Jared Padalecki's only brother does not tire to point out the naughtiness of the words. When the party has calmed down somewhat, the younger Padalecki once again turns to his chosen dancing partner.

"What should we do to punish him, hm? Such words cannot go unpunished."

"Tease him. Make fun of him," is Wentworth's suggestion.

"Make fun of Mr. Hugh Laurie, art critic extra-ordinaire? That is not possible. It is a feat that cannot be accomplished. His wit is too sharp for anyone not to get hurt when duelling with him in a battle of the mind."

Wenworth Morgan's comment upon the severeness that is Mr. Laurie is met with much merriment from the group and an assessing look from Mr. Laurie himself. There can be no doubt that he is enjoying the attention that is focused on his person. It comes as a surprise, though, that Hugh Laurie does not launch an attack of his own at Wentworth in retaliation for the insult to his character.

"I try to better myself and keep from making myself a ridiculous spectacle. It does not become one to be the centre of attention for one's failings and flaws. It behoves us all to strive for improvement and rid ourselves of bad behaviour or misinformed folly."

"And this quest for perfection leaves no room for amusement. I see now that there is nothing to be laughed at with Mr. Laurie, and is no amusement to be found with him."

"I certainly am not such a boring man that there is no amusement and laughter to be had in my presence. No person is ever safe from being laughed about, especially if somebody's intent is to make a joke of others."

This statement induces Wentworth to smirk as he replies: "But surely I am not such a person. I think it to be awfully rude to make fun of others. In the end, nobody is above being found wanting at some point."

"That may be so, but I aim to do away with my weaknesses and flaws."

"Such as pride and vanity, I suppose."

"Yes, those are weaknesses indeed, but with pride, I am of the mind that if there is a strong and able mind, pride will always be under control."

Wentworth's final deduction of Hugh Laurie's superiority in character and mind is met with much protestation from Mr. Laurie, who then does not hesitate to point out his failings and flaws. His evaluation ends with the grave statement that his good opinion cannot be won back once it has been lost.

As the night continues, Wentworth refrains from involving himself in the conversation, and instead watches the crowd on the dance floor. He does not fail to notice though the intense staring of Hugh Laurie and the occasional sour look from Milo Padalecki.

When the party returns to the hotel, Wentworth eagerly tells Jensen about the outing and the strange conversation that took place. The two siblings laugh about the awkwardness of the situation, and the younger brother is able to look at things more relaxed than a couple of hours ago back in the club.

"My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever."

"Oh Wentworth, don't feel bad about his words. I am sure that he doesn't mean them like that."

Jensen Morgan's reaction has Wenworth Morgan laugh some more.

"Ah, but Jensen, you forget that I do not care for Mr. Laurie's good opinion. I have to say, though, that I feel bad for him. There is nothing forgiving or happy about him, and I can't imagine what it must be like to live like this, always condescending and disagreeing with others."

In the end, the two brothers tire enough to go to bed, and it appears to be only minutes later that the wake-up call raises them and has them prepare for departure. The general mood of the party is rather sombre, but this might be credited to the heavy heads that some of the group members complain about.

The flight back is spent in silence, and Wentworth gets to continue his book. They arrive just as Harry Potter gets rescued out of an icy pond, where he had been diving for some ancient silver sword.

 

# Chapter IX

Charisma and Tom greet their two older brothers with tales about their adventures and the description of the newest waiter at Rosenbaum's, who has the hearts of the young women aflutter. The two youngest Morgan siblings only stop with their bothering when the two travellers promise to come to the club that night.

Much to Wentworth's dismay, Jensen calls Jared Padalecki, who then agrees to accompany the group, together with his whole entourage.

"It is not like I did not spend the whole night in the unpleasant presence of Mr. Hugh Laurie and Mr. Milo Padalecki."

"Wentworth, please."

"I promise, brother, that I will behave myself and even refrain from reacting to Mr. Laurie's or Milo Padalecki's taunts and comments."

This promise made the two brothers dress for going out and, together with their two younger siblings, leave for the club where, they will meet up with Jared Padalecki and the others. Once more, the queue in front of the club is passed by, and the bouncer at the door lets them in without even a second look.

Surprisingly, the same two tables they occupied the last time are free again, and so the groups settle down. The mysterious waiter is not working their tables, so Wentworth soon finds himself being dragged to the bar, where a blond young man juggles cocktail shakers and glasses while flirting with a group of young women.

"Hi Chad!"

"Well, hello there! Who is this gorgeous young man that accompanies you today, Miss Charisma?"

The compliment calls for some giggles and blushes from the female audience and has Wentworth smile, amused.

"My name is Wentworth Morgan, and I am Miss Charisma's brother."

"Aha, one of the famous Morgan brothers."

"Pray tell me, what are we famous for?"

The conversation is interrupted when another group of young women arrive at the bar and order drinks. It is obvious that the new bartender and waiter is very popular with the female proprietors, and the popularity results not only in high tips but also in lots of bare flesh and offers of sexual gratification.

Wentworth notices Jared Padalecki and Hugh Laurie leaving the table and making their way over to the bar. The two men are in a deep discussion when they arrive next to Wentworth. Mr. Padalecki almost immediately includes the young Morgan in their talk, and while Wentworth and Jared Padalecki discuss the fine points of the music blearing from the sound system, Mr. Laurie leans onto the bar counter and scans the crowd at the other end.

When his eyes fall on the blond barkeeper, something strange happens. Now Wentworth known to be a person who easily interprets other people's moods and behaviour, but what transpires between Mr. Laurie and Chad the barkeeper is not interpretation, but actual facts.

From the corner of his eyes, the young Morgan watches the eyes of the other two men meet, and there is a flicker of emotion on both of their faces. The emotion varies greatly, though. While Mr. Hugh Laurie's reaction is a short flash of surprise that gets masked by disdain, anger and then an emotionless mask, the feelings that are to be observed on Chad's face are an intriguing mixture of surprise, fear, and nervousness.

A dark-haired waiter asks them for their order, and the time between placing the order and getting the drinks is spent commenting on the people and comparing the establishment to the Las Vegas club.

Jared Padalecki and Hugh Laurie leave again, so Wentworth stays at the bar on his own and contemplates the curious interaction between Mr. Laurie and the new waiter. Before he is able to come to a conclusion about what exactly was going on and what it all means, a drink is placed in front of him and the blond barkeeper smiles charmingly at him.

"We never finished our conversation."

"No, indeed we did not."

Chad Michael Murray, for that is the name of the mysterious stranger, explains the charm and the mystery that is the Morgan siblings and elaborates on his own theories concerning the mentioned mystique.

Wentworth is curious about the mystery that is Chad Michael Murray and thinks about ways to ask for an explanation concerning the reaction to Mr. Laurie. His curiosity is assuaged when the young blond leans closer to share more insightful information.

"Are you good friends with the Lauries?"

"Not particularly, no. We only met Mr. Hugh Laurie because of his close friendship with Mr. Padalecki."

"You must know that I used to be quite closely connected to the family in New York. We called each other brothers in the past."

This intrigues Wentworth, and he is thinking about how to ask for clarification when Chad Michael Murray continues.

"You have to know that Mr. Laurie's and Alexis Laurie's mother died in a car accident when young Alexis was just a year old. Three years later, their father met my mother, and so we became one big family. Old Mr. Laurie was a very decent and kind man, and he never made me feel like a step-son. After his death, though, when it was upon Hugh Laurie to take care of my education and future career, he told me in few words that he did not consider me to be family and that it was upon me to earn my education. He practically threw me out of my home."

"What an abominable act! You ought to protest against that. Maybe you can sue him?"

"No, there is nothing to be done about it, and I don't want to shame the memory of Mr. Laurie Sr. with a legal war between his children."

The conversation gets interrupted once more, but this time Chad Murray is required to wait a group of tables, and Wentworth Morgan is left on his own to contemplate what he just learned. The story only confirms what the young Morgan scion has suspected for a long time now. Hugh Laurie is a heartless and horrid man who only cares for himself.

When he returns to the table later on, Wentworth Morgan remains silent for a long time, and only Jensen's coaxing has him participate in the table's conversation. The young man cannot forget the sadness in Chad Michael Murray's eyes. It seems unfair to him that a man like Hugh Laurie could get away with something like he did to his step-brother. His comments are sparse and he flat out refuses to talk to Mr. Laurie.


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter X

It is very early in the morning when the Morgan siblings return from the club, and Wentworth follows Jensen to his room, where he tells his older brother about the history between Mr. Hugh Laurie and Chad Michael Murray.

"I cannot believe Mr. Laurie to be such an abominable man as the story portrays him to be. He is Jared's best and oldest friend. There is no way that the Padaleckis have been fooled so greatly about Mr. Laurie's character."

"I can more easily believe Mr. Laurie fooling his friend who trusts him indefinitely than Chad Murray making up the whole affair."

"But are you definitely sure about the truth of this story? We don't know Mr. Murray, after all."

"He spoke with complete honesty and gave me all the facts. Names, places, and figures. One cannot make up such a tale. I am convinced that it is completely true."

Jensen Morgan tries to find some more reasons in favour of Mr. Hugh Laurie, but Wentworth will not allow any excuses. The two brothers decide, in the end, that the quarrel is between Chad Michael Murray and Hugh Laurie, and therefore there is no reason for them to worry about it.

The two Morgan brothers go to bed and in the morning, the discussion is almost forgotten. Sandra Morgan surprises her family with the dreaded news of a cocktail reception that is to take place in the evening, where her friends are to invade the Morgan home.

Almost immediately after the news about the coming party, the children call their friends to invite people they actually want to spend the time with, but their efforts are met with mediocre success. Where Charisma's friends are eager to join them in the evening, Mr. Padalecki has to decline due to already existing appointments and David Hatcher is currently on holiday in Hawaii.

In the end, Jeffrey D. Morgan invites his younger brother and co-owner of SaMorgan Customs Eric Morgan and a couple of members of the city council.

All day long, Sandra Morgan shoos the cook and the servants through the house and bullies the gardener into doing her bidding. When the stress and hectic activity gets to be too much, the rest of the Morgan family flees and returns only an hour before the start of the party.

The reception starts at eight in the evening, and by then, the servants and the staff are nervous wrecks. When the guests arrive, the whole family has gathered in the garden and Sandra Morgan is the perfect host, welcoming her guests and making small talk with everyone.

Together with Charisma Morgan's friends, a person arrives that brightens Wentworth's day. Chad Michael Murray has joined the young and rich and mingles with the crowd. He finds the older Morgan brother soon after his arrival and stays close to him throughout the reception. Whenever they find a new group, he soon relays his unfortunate connection and dealings with Mr. Laurie, and after a very short time, he has the whole party crowd agreeing with him that Hugh Laurie's character is severely lacking.

During the next ten days, Wentworth Morgan visits Rosenbaum's almost every night, and more often than not, he only stays at the bar to chat with his new friend. Chad Michael Murray is a good-looking young man whose charismatic ways draw people to him in spades.

One night when Wentworth frequents the club, he bears witness to a fight between two young women who both want to win Chad Murray to themselves. In the end, one of the bouncers has to drag both women out and revokes their permission to enter the club.

It comes as a big surprise and a disappointment to many female patrons, one of them being Charisma Morgan, when the rumour starts to spread that Chad Michael Murray is connected to Katherine Heigl. The connection between those two is a topic that is much talked about, and there is also the talk about a probable marriage between Chad Murray and Katherine Heigl.

Wentworth meets both of them on the beach once, and although his sister has been complaining about the injustice of Chad Michael Murray being off the market, he cannot fault either of the two for finding happiness with each other.

Seven days after the cocktail reception, an invitation arrives at the Morgans, inviting the whole family to a beach party at Teri Hatcher's house. All of Santa Monica's high society is to come. and the preparations are to take five days. Sandra Morgan leaves for her friend's as soon as the invitation has been read, and for the next few days, she spends more time with Teri Hatcher, her sister Marcia Cross, and Sean Hayes than with her family.

This reprieve is rather welcome to the family, and the quiet and peaceful days have the other family members stay at home and enjoy the tranquillity that is the Morgan house. Masi Morgan locks himself into his room after the third day, explaining beforehand that he is close to finding the formula to bend time and space.

From time to time the others can hear strange noises from the room, but mostly there is only silence. The only times Masi Morgan leaves his research base is breakfast and dinner at which he informs his siblings and his father about the progress he has made so far.

The day before the great party at Teri Hatcher's, Jared Padalecki calls to inform Jensen about his absence for the next days, but he reassures the young Morgan that upon his return to Santa Monica, he will organise a party at Hugh Laurie's.

So at the party, the most talked about topic is the much anticipated party of Jared Padalecki, and everyone agrees that it will be just as exciting as the gallery opening weeks ago. Sandra Morgan is proud to be the one who can inform her friends and the other guests with more detailed information since her son is close to Mr. Padalecki.

What none of the Morgans know at that time, though, is that soon their thoughts will be occupied by a more pressing matter than a party.

 

# Chapter XI

When Jeffrey D. Morgan gets a phone call from his old friend Scott Patterson, he is happy to hear from his former school mate, and he readily agrees to have Calista Patterson, his friend's daughter, stay with them for the duration of her visit to Santa Monica.

And so two days later, Calista Patterson arrives at the Morgan home. Sandra Morgan is all politeness when she meets the young woman, and after an initial awkwardness, the young guest warms up to her host family and soon talks non-stop about her work and the importance of her visiting Los Angeles during the break.

The young Miss Patterson is a lawyer working for Mayer, Brown, Rowe &amp; Maw LLP in Washington D.C. The reason for her presence on the West Coast is the offer of a junior partnership with Waterstein.&amp; Co. This promotion is attached to many strings, and Calista is working hard to fulfil all of the requirements that are needed for the job.

After the first two days, the Morgan siblings start to avoid the room Sandra Morgan and Calista Patterson are in, but the two women show an uncanny ability of appearing without any prior warning. Mrs. Morgan does not tire in fawning over Ms. Patterson's connections and place in East Coast society and constantly encourages her own children to take their young guest as a role model.

One evening, when the whole family has gathered for a dinner bar-b-q on the veranda, Ms. Patterson once more talks about her favourite topic: work. As the times before, she lectures the family about the importance of her job and her trip to Las Vegas, but for the first time, some specifics about the job's requirements are revealed.

"It is of great importance that I marry soon. Every lawyer that wants to portray sincerity has to be married to show that social responsibility is of importance to him or her. A client cannot trust a lawyer that disrespects society's rules. There is not life without a spouse. Dinner parties and public events alone require that one has a constant partner."

"That is only too true. The younger generation these days does not respect these things anymore."

Sandra Morgan continues to point out the wrong ways of the generation of her children for the next twenty minutes. With the most eager support given by Calista Patterson, Mrs. Morgan then continues to elaborate on the necessity of parental intervention with their children's lives to ensure that the right ways are maintained.

"There are many young people my age who are simply not aware of the responsibility they have. It is just not proper to ignore one's duties in favour of one's own desires. Such behaviour is highly irresponsible and ought to be restrained."

"Too true. I always was of the mind that it is the responsibility of the parents to insure their children's proper conduct."

Jeffrey D. Morgan is not of the same mind as his wife, and soon he objects to the suggestions made by Mrs. Morgan. He argues in favour of the younger generations and asks for a more liberal view on the whole subject.

"But Mr. Morgan, it has been pointed out by many able minds that today's society is not functioning as well as it should be because of the many alterations made to its already proven structure. A hundred years ago, families stayed together for all their lives, and population in Western countries grew without the incorporation of foreigners. All these changes ranging from divorce to the acceptance of gay marriage can only result in anarchy and a complete break down of civilisation as we know it."

"But then again, one hundred years ago, men were still allowed to beat their women, women had no right to vote, many ethnicities were heavily oppressed, and there were two World Wars and a World Economy Crisis, the Cold War, Vietnam, and all the other happenings of the 20th Century. I don't think that the problems of today's society are any graver than those at any other time in history."

Wentworth's argumentation is met with much consternation from Calista Patterson's side and a scorning look from Sandra Morgan. The table comes to rest, though, and the silence that follows the words brings a reprieve from the constant argumentations of Ms. Patterson and Mrs. Morgan.

Charisma Morgan unsuccessfully attempts to revive the conversation by sharing her information about the upcoming party at the Community Beach Club. The beach party is the biggest event since the gallery opening and might only be surpassed by the Padalecki-Laurie party a week later.

Mrs. Morgan almost immediately feels a headache lurking and excuses herself to retreat to the Yoga chamber. Without her usual conversational partner, Calista invites herself to the outing to Los Angeles the Morgan siblings have planned.

Except for Calista Patterson's continuous commentary on the people she met so far and the community of Santa Monica, the drive is spent in silence, for none of the Morgan siblings desire to converse with their unwelcome addition. It seems to Charisma and Tom that the twenty minutes are the longest of their entire life, and only a reproving stare from Wentworth keeps the two youngest Morgans from voicing their displeasure.

 

# Chapter XII

The days until the beach party become unbearable for Wentworth Morgan due to a most unfortunate development that has Calista concentrating all her attention and focus on the young Morgan scion. It has been clear for some time now that the young house guest is interested in making a connection in Santa Monica, and so the male offspring of the Morgan family has to endure the attention of young Ms. Patterson more often than they care for.

When Calista Patterson enquires about Jensen Morgan's marital status, Mrs. Morgan does not hesitate to relay the fortunate connection between Jensen and Mr. Jared Padalecki. Sandra almost immediately afterwards points out the finer abilities and virtues of her second oldest son Wentworth, though, and so the young man finds himself with an admirer that does not hesitate to stalk her prey through the house and everywhere else he goes.

The constant surveillance and the constant inane chatter about topics that are either of no interest to him or are portrayed in such a way that the topic becomes offending or boring grates on Wentworth's nerves. In an increasing frequency, he hides out with his younger brother Masi Morgan and helps him with building a device that, according to Masi, will assist the young man in testing the formula that bends time and space.

Three days before the party, Sendhil Ramamurthy arrives, and Wentworth has to leave his hideout and brave Calista Patterson. The young Morgan is happy that his friend from university is here, though, and together the two young men spend the day preparing for the arrival of the other two friends on the following day.

It comes as a very pleasant surprise that Keiko Lee joined Ali Larter and Leonard Roberts, and in the evening, the five study colleagues head for Rosenbaum's. The only downside of the outing is the presence of Ms. Patterson, who insists on joining the group.

Once settled at their table, the young woman does not hesitate to comment on the lack of style and decorum where the furniture and the decoration of the club are concerned. The music is too loud and not sophisticated enough. It is not surprising that the crowd is not to Ms. Patterson's liking, either.

Wentworth Morgan endures the remarks but fears for his friends' patience. The arrival of their waiter is a welcome distraction that is further dulcified by the identity of their waiter, for it is none other than Chad Michael Murray. Even Calista Patterson cannot resist the charm of Chad Murray, and so she soon sips a cocktail while listening to Chad's recapture of how he came to work at Rosenbaum's.

At the mention of Mr. Laurie's father, Ms. Patterson excitedly interrupts the tale to impart some of her own knowledge.

"But Mr. Laurie Sr. used to be a good friend with Senator Bishop. Mrs. Kelly Bishop told me many times about how kind and forthcoming both Mr. and Mrs. Laurie used to be."

"Alas, but none of the kindness is to be found in their son," Wentworth cries.

"There is no need for Hugh Laurie to be kind or forthcoming, for he is a man of great importance and much influence. I know that a connection with him is highly to be desired, and there can be no doubt that a reference to the Laurie family can and will open doors."

"Open doors, maybe, but his temper and character will not open him any hearts."

Ms. Calista Patterson reprimands Wentworth that there is no reason to speak so ill about the illustrious Mr. Laurie and then points out that charms are not needed to win hearts.

"Mr. Hugh Laurie does not have to charm or seduce people to get them to like him. Why, his intended wife is a beautiful young woman who is the daughter of a congress man. He certainly did not need to charm her to get her and her parent's consent."

When Wentworth asks for proof of her story, the young woman does not hesitate to reveal that her informant is none other than Mrs. Kelly Bishop herself and that the widow is the proud matchmaker. Chad Michael Murray has stayed silent throughout the discussion and soon excuses himself to return to work behind the bar.

After the moderate success of the trip to Rosenbaum's and the insightful additional information on Mr. Laurie and his family connections, the party of friends does their best to avoid another Calista Patterson situation. But on the day of the beach party, Wentworth has another run-in with Ms. Patterson when she insists on spending the afternoon with him and his friends.

Sandra Morgan is most delighted to find her young protégé together with her son, and for the rest of the day, she gushes about how perfect the two young people look together and how fortunate a connection to the East Coast would be.

That evening when the group departs for the party, it can be seen that the constant stalking of Ms. Calista Patterson has worn Wentworth Morgan's defences down, and the departure of his friends does nothing to improve his mood. In vain, he tries to escape their guest and find some reprieve, but there is nowhere he can hide, and so his mood is rather grim when the family and their guest arrive at the party.

It comes as a most unpleasant surprise, though, when Wentworth Morgan finds Mr. Hugh Laurie present even though Jared Padalecki excused himself from the event. Desperate to escape both Mr. Laurie and Ms. Patterson, the young man loses himself in the crowd. He steers himself closer to the group of young people that have gathered, but his retreat is cut short by Hugh Laurie, whose person physically blocks Wentworth's path.

"Good evening, Mr. Morgan."

"Good evening, Mr. Laurie."

"I have to admit that I missed our talks while being away. Your opinion on certain topics is rather refreshing from what I usually get subjected to."

"Pray tell me Mr. Laurie, did you not enjoy being worshipped by your adoring crowd that awaits you at home?" It irks Wentworth Morgan to not a small degree that the older man subjects him to his presence, knowing of Wentworth's antipathy towards Mr. Laurie.

"Who would prefer spineless and unimaginative grovelling and worship when one can have hateful and annoyed words flung at them? My constant asking for your opinion ought to be a fair indication of my interests and preferences."

Wentworth's response to Mr. Laurie's more than obvious goading gets aborted with the arrival of Calista Patterson whose search for her chosen husband is finally successful.

"Why there you are, Wentworth. I almost suspected you of hiding from me." Whatever Ms. Patterson is about to say is immediately forgotten upon recognising Wentworth's conversational partner.

"Mr. Laurie, I am so honoured to make your acquaintance. My name is Calista Patterson. I am a very good friend of Mrs. Kelly Bishop."

"What an honour indeed."

"I have always wished to express my utter respect and grand admiration of your work. I cannot properly describe how great an admirer I am of your critics."

Any further admiration or devotional declarations are cut short by Mr. Hugh Laurie's sudden departure. Enraged, Wentworth watches the man walk away. It speaks of no propriety and very ill-breeding to turn one's back on a person talking to your or complimenting your achievements.

"I believe Jensen and Tom are over there with the group of young people. We ought to join them."

Reluctantly, Wentworth Morgan joins his friends and siblings together with Ms. Patterson. Although the young man feels sorry about the abominable way Mr. Laurie treated the young woman, he does not enjoy the young woman's attention more because of it. He follows without a word of complaint, though, when he notices his mother's eyes on him.

For the rest of the evening and half of the night, Wentworth attempts to evade his stalker without his mother noticing it. This undertaking is moderately successful and makes great demands on his attention. The only upside is that the constant presence of Calista Patterson keeps Mr. Laurie at a safe distance.


	5. Chapter 5

# Chapter XIII

During breakfast the next morning Sandra Morgan does not tire to compliment Ms. Patterson on her impeccable manners and her networking skills that allowed the young woman to make several connections at the party the night before.

The only reprieve comes when Jeffrey D. Morgan interrupts his wife to question the family's guest about the progress of her Junior Partnership with Waterstein.&amp; Co. This intervention results in another headache on Mrs. Morgan's side and a verbose explication about the law system, networking and the importance of proper conduct.

As soon as is appropriate the Morgan siblings leave the table to escape the lengthy monologue and address themselves to other tasks more agreeable to them. Wentworth and Jensen decide upon driving out to San Diego and prepare for an escape from their mother and Ms. Patterson.

Wentworth's preparations are interrupted when his mother calls him downstairs. The young man finds Calista Patterson waiting for him though and the anxious disposition alarms him. When the young woman takes notice of Wentworth's presence, the pacing is stopped and a determined looks settles on her face.

"Wentworth. I come from a wealthy family and I made many connections with important people. My situation in life is such that I have achieved what only few women of my age have achieved. There is only one thing that I have failed to do and that is to look for a partner in life, a person that will value me the same way that I would value them. A companion to share my successes with and who has an understanding of the importance of my work."

The oration bodes ill for Wentworth and the young man desperately wishes for a saviour to stop what is about to transpire in front of his eyes.

"After many conversations with your esteemed mother I came to the decision that a marital bond between the two of us would be most advantageous. There can be no doubt about the profitability of a connection between my family and yours since both of them are well-established in society."

"I am afraid that despite all you conversations with my mother you failed to discuss the topic with the person who is of importance, namely me. I cannot recall giving any indication of being even remotely interested in a relationship between the both of us," was Wentworth's frosty reply.

"But surely you must see that I am well thought of in society and that my becoming a Junior Partner at Waterstein.&amp; Co. will only increase my net of associates and partners. With your future field of profession being the law it is of great advantage to connect both of our families."

"That may be so but I am not going to compromise my future happiness by entering a marriage just to become more agreeable to others or further my connections in society. Let me tell once and for all that I am not willing to get married."

"But..."

"I will not agree to the connection. I am sorry but this answer will not change." The words are underlined by Wentworth's resolute departure from the room.

He is quite aware of the consequences his decision and his actions will have but he refuses to agree to a bond that ensures future infelicity and a life long sufferings in the form of Calista Patterson.

Wentworth's expectations are met when only five minutes later Sandra Morgan's wail can be heard throughout the whole house. There is a loud discussion between Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Patterson as Sandra Morgan tries to induce the young woman to stay.

Shamefaced about the whole incident Calista Patterson insists on leaving though and after much argumentation and pleading, Ms. Patterson can be persuaded to stay for the remainder of her sojourn with Teri Hatcher. Preparations are made and soon after a driver picks the young woman up and transfers her to her new place of residence.

"Wentworth!"

The angry wail has the other siblings gather on the stairs to listen in on the scolding and screaming that is to come. Only Jensen accompanies his brother to the door before taking his place on the stairs as well.

"Jeff, come here and listen to what your son has done."

Jeffrey D. Morgan interrupts his perusal of the latest finance plan of the garage to hear what his wife is desperate to tell him.

"Your son refused Ms. Patterson when she asked him for his hand in marriage. He just won't think about the connections we could have made, all the advantages of this bond between our family and the family of Ms. Patterson. In this abominable manner he has, he flat out told her that he will not have her and that he is not interested in her or her connections. Tell your son that he has to reconsider at once and that if he refuses to see reason I will not speak another word with him."

"This is a grave matter indeed." Mr. Morgan sets the papers aside and takes a long look from his wife to his son. "Do you understand what you mother just said?"

"Yes, but father…"

"Your mother said that she would not have a word with you in her life should you not marry Ms. Patterson. And I am telling you that I would not have a word with you in my life should you marry her."

Wentworth Morgan's relieved laughter was followed by another dismal wail from Sandra Morgan that followed the young man out of the room. It has to be said here that there have not been many times in the past where Mr. Morgan spoke against his wife so decidedly because he considered the resulting headaches and wails too tiresome. This time though he had deemed the topic important enough to put up with the consequences.

The two older Morgan brothers decide to go to Third Street instead of San Diego and so the afternoon has the two young men enjoying themselves as they meet with friends and plan the last two weeks of the summer holidays. Wentworth and his brother Jensen are in high spirits when they return home and find the house in an uproar once more.

"Wentworth you won't believe what happened!" cries Charisma.

"Calista Patterson offered David Hatcher her hand in marriage!" Tom hurries to elaborate before his sister gets the chance.

"And he sent her home back to the East Coast, I can imagine." The imagination of his good friend rejecting the intolerable offer of marriage has Wentworth laugh amused.

"No, he accepted. They are engaged and the wedding will take place next May."

The shocking news throws Wentworth completely who never expected this being possible. Eager for some in detail information and more important reliable confirmation of the story he calls David Hatcher. The call is redirected to the mailbox and Wentworth leaves a message demanding a return call concerning the engagement.

It is evening when the long awaited call has Wentworth Morgan scramble from the dinner table and head for his room. He makes sure to have privacy for his talk with his friend.

"Hi, David."

"Hi, Wentworth. I take it you heard about it from your younger siblings."

"Indeed I have. David…" It is hard for the young man to find the right words to express his emotions without hurting his friend's feelings.

"Are you mad at me, Wentworth?"

"No, of course not. Why should I be mad? I just cannot understand your reasoning for this action."

"I am not like you Wentworth. I am not expecting eternal love out of a relationship for I do not deem it love to be necessary to make a relationship work. And the connections that Ms. Patterson has are very advantageous for my future career."

After hearing this explanation Wentworth once more reassures David Hatcher that he is not mad but also stresses the inability to understand the decision. The two young men talk some more about what happened that day and only stop after promising to meet the next day.

After the phone call Wentworth Morgan refuses to expose himself to his mother's wailing and his sibling's curiosity and so he remains in his room and ponders some more about the implications of the day's events. Thoughts and speculations about his friend's decision follow him into the land of dreams much later.

 

# Chapter XIV

After the beach party the upcoming party at the Laurie residence is the thing to talk about and many a mother and daughter spends the week until the much awaited event planning the right outfit. It is the general consensus that it is the perfect end to the summer holidays and that Mr. Jared Padalecki is particularly gifted in choosing dates for events.

The anticipation does not pass the Morgan household by of course. Sandra Morgan, who still occasionally suffers from a nasty burst of headache, focuses all her attention on the preparation for her family's outfits for the party. Together with Charisma Morgan she peruses clothes and shoes and finds everything lacking.

Jensen Morgan is in particular anxious about the event for it will be the first time since Mr. Padalecki's business travel that he meets Jared Padalecki again. He endures his mother's fussing about the outfit and reservation at the coiffeur and eagerly waits for the date of the party.

Wentworth Morgan instead dreads the evening and the no doubt unavoidable presence of Mr. Hugh Laurie. Ever since the rude treatment of Ms. Calista Patterson, Wentworth has been spared the displeasure of having to converse with Mr. Laurie. Surprisingly the older man never showed up anywhere and so the Morgan son can enjoy his days without having to worry about either Ms. Patterson or Mr. Laurie.

The day of the great party Sandra and Charisma Morgan run amok with their preparations and when the servants hide out in the kitchen to avoid running into either of the two women Mr. Morgan forbids his wife and his daughter to continue with their excessive preparations.

For the rest of the afternoon there is a suspicious silence that has Jeffrey D. Morgan check on Sandra Morgan and Charisma to make sure both are unharmed and feeling fine. As the time draws closer to the party a certain restlessness spreads the house and by the time the family gathers to leave everyone is all excitement about the evening's outing.

Upon the arrival the Morgan's are impressed by the glamorous decorations and the steady stream of celebrities making their way into the villa. Since Jared Padalecki does not own any housing in Santa Monica he stays at the Laurie residence which is most advantageously located at a private strip of beach and direct access to the ocean. The premises are extensive and include a park-like garden that stretches from the entrance gate to the beach.

The entrance area is filled with guests and there is the sound of jazzy music being carried over from the terrace where a live band amuses the crowd. Wentworth has to admit to himself that he is awe-struck by the opulence that can be seen.

Almost immediately after their entering the building Jared Padalecki seeks Jensen Morgan out. It is obvious to Wentworth that Jensen is more than pleased about the attention he gets from the young man. Mr. Padalecki entertains the family with recaptures about his dealings in Florida and when he is joined by his brother Milo Padalecki the two brothers re-enact a particularly droll incident that occurred at one of the events they visited.

The whole time Wentworth keeps a watch out for Mr. Hugh Laurie but the man stays away from the group and there are only occasional glances he gets of him. When the rooms get too crowded Wentworth heads for the terrace where he enjoys the cool breeze that comes from the water.

Close to the bar out on the lawn are Charisma and her friends and nearby Tom entertains some of his friends with a ridiculous display of some occurrence. Wentworth Morgan turns his back on his siblings and follows a path down to a small square that faces the beach.

"It has been some time since our last meeting."

The words pique the young man and upon turning he faces Mr. Laurie. The sudden and surprising appearance of the other man incites Wentworth and he has to forcibly reign himself in. He forces an impassive expression on his face before responding.

"Indeed our last encounter dates some days back."

"I heard about the surprising engagement of Mr. David Hatchet and Ms. Calista Patterson. I hope that the transfer of the young woman's affection did not cause you any pain."

"I don't see how this is any business of yours," presses Wentworth out.

The impertinence of the question incites him further for he will not condone any questions of such intimacy from Hugh Laurie.

"I did not consider this question to be of such a provocative nature. I am sorry if I angered you. It has to be said though that a connection between you and Ms. Patterson would have not been beneficial and in general I do not condone marriages that are celebrated with the sole purpose of furthering one's connections."

"I am surprised that you would talk in such a way about marriages. It is rather hypocritical considering your own situation."

With this words Wentworth makes his exit and heads back to the terrace and the crowd that enables him to disappear from Mr. Laurie's sight. Passing the bar he notices Jensen who unsuccessfully tries to escape the clutches of a young blond woman. The strange woman has her body, which consists mostly of breasts, pressed against the older Morgan brother and the young man desperately tries to pull away.

Wentworth decides to come to his brother's aid when an unfortunately familiar voice stops him.

"Well, it seems that at least one member of your family enjoys his time at the party."

Mr. Hugh Laurie leaves before Wentworth gets the chance to answer the taunt. The dire situation Jensen draws Wentworth Morgan's attention again and he heads to his brother's help. Only with the combined effort of both Wentworth and Jensen are the two young men able to divert the young woman's attention from Jensen Morgan to a new prey. They leave the bar in a hurry to seek for refuge far away from Joanna Krupa, for that is the young blond woman's name.

The next hours Wentworth either follows Jensen and Mr. Padalecki, who they find inside with a group of his business partners, or he spends the time avoiding running into Hugh Laurie. He ends up being incorporated in a discussion about the presidential elections next year.

The argumentations are varied and well-thought and Wentworth enjoys himself to a great extend. The pleasant company has the young man even forget his wish to avoid Mr. Laurie. When the talk comes to the different candidates the young Morgan offspring is surprised to learn that Hugh Laurie is a good friend of Hillary Clinton's and that he even supports her campaign.

This new information strikes him as most odd since he would never have considered Mr. Laurie to be liberal minded. He continues to discuss with the group for some more time before he is made aware of a completely different discussion.

Masi Morgan has gathered a bewildered crowd that he explains his theories about time and space to. To his utter horror Wentworth recognises the device his younger brother gets out of the suit jacket. His behaviour disturbs some of the ladies but Masi does not notice this and continues to elucidate his equation, going even so far as starting to demonstrate his self-constructed device.

Wentworth hurries over to stop his brother from causing an even bigger disturbance but it is too late. Masi starts to press different buttons on the box and an electric current zaps to the closest spectator who then jumps back spilling his glass of champagne on his neighbour, One of the women cries out in surprise and trips over the hem of her dress when she abruptly steps back and away from Masi Morgan and his faulty device.

Jeffrey D. Morgan arrives at the scene at the same time like Wentworth and it can be seen that he is most upset about the incident. A glare at the second youngest son has Masi follow quietly away from the upset group. Wentworth follows them from the room and the three Morgan men head out into the fresh air.

With decided words Mr. Morgan informs Masi Morgan that he will not tolerate another display of this kind. Only when the young man promises to not leave his father's side and behave himself Jeffrey D. Morgan relents his tirade.

The peace does not last for a long time. As Wentworth and Masi follow their father around for some time, the three men are shocked to hear a familiar wail from the direction of the terrace. They hurry towards the sound only to find Sandra Morgan scream at Charisma who dances in the small pool without her dress on.

At first the spectacle that is Charisma and Sandra Morgan completely has Wentworth in its thrall but upon closer inspection of the situation he notices Tom sitting next to the pool clutching to the punch bowl. There is a disturbing content expression on his face. The drama is complete when Jensen and Mr. Padalecki join the staring crowd.

Wentworth has never been more embarrassed in his whole life and he feels very sorry for his brother who watches the display that is their family with a look of utter horror. There is a strange expression on Mr. Jared Padalecki's face and when Wentworth glances at the people at the back of the group he finds Mr. Laurie watching everything with morbid fascination.

It takes Mr. Morgan some time to rein both, his children and his wife, in and he steers the group away and towards the entrance. Wentworth helps Jensen who hurried to his family's help, to drag Charisma and Tom in the direction of their car. The curious and somewhat gleeful looks feel not half as hurtful as the focused stare of Hugh Laurie and the embarrassed glance of Jared Padalecki.

The drive back from the party is filled with the wails and cries of Sandra Morgan who does not tire to point out the repercussions this will have on her standing in society. There is not a word from Jeffrey D. Morgan and Wentworth fears this more than any social disgrace for he knows that even though their father never voices his fears and problems aloud, that these incidents are a hard blow and might even have professional repercussions.

When the family arrives at home the two younger children are taken to their rooms and Masi disappears before any of his parents can talk to him about the incident at the party. The parents retire but not together. While Mrs. Morgan disappears in her Yoga chamber, Jeffrey D. Morgan heads for the patio where he opens a bottle of whiskey before settling down on one of the garden chairs.

After contemplating to talk to his father Wentworth decides to wait for the next morning and follows his older brother upstairs. In Wentworth's room the two siblings discuss the disaster that was today's outing. For some time they complain about the embarrassing behaviour of their two youngest siblings but when the topic is talked out the two decide to retire and wait for the next day's revelation about the consequences that are sure to follow.

 

# Chapter XV

At breakfast there is sober a silence at the table and only Teri Hatcher's call to Sandra Oh brings some life. Mrs. Morgan's best friend reports the rumours that are spreading about the happenings and surprisingly the whole incident is portrayed far less grave, than was to be expected. Mrs. Hatcher informs them about Mr. Laurie's interference when one of the guests tried to inform the press about the happenings and Mr. Jared Padalecki instructed the personnel to keep quiet about the whole affair.

This fortunate turn of events lightens the mood somewhat but there is still a talk between the Morgans and their children. Charisma and Tom are grounded for the remainder of the holidays, and Masi Morgan has to hand over his construction and his book of calculations and notes about his experiments.

Jensen tries to call Jared Padalecki after the family meeting but for the longest time he only reaches the phone's voice mail. This development worries the young man but Wentworth assures his brother that everything will be alright. Little does he suspect what they will be informed of some hours later.

A completely different piece of information reaches him around lunchtime when he gets a call from a friend, who tells him about Chad Michael Murray and Katherine Heigl running away together. This news cheers Wentworth up and he rejoices for his friend.

Since every member of the family has retreated to a different part of the house, Wentworth settles down on the patio and continues to read the Harry Potter novel. He already knows everything that will happen since everything has been written and talked about everywhere already, but he decided despite the spoiling to finish reading the book.

He spends the next hours ensconced on the sunlounger and a feeling of peace settles over the young man. It is the first time during the holidays that he can take a rest from his family, Ms. Patterson, and Mr. Laurie.

Later in the afternoon the young man is joined by his older brother and soon the two young men are to be found in deep discussion about next term's syllabus, and the classes they want or have to take. Jensen Morgan excitedly talks about his next internship, and expresses the wish to work with older children than the last time.

The two brothers spend some more time in this companionable way before Jeffrey D. Morgan returns form works and settles down on the recliner, listening in on the conversation and occasionally participating. There is a tired edge to his posture and voice but both sons prefer to not address the matter.

In the evening after the family had dinner, Jensen gets a call from Milo Padalecki. With growing despair he listens to the news the younger Padalecki bears. Once the call is over the young man makes for the patio where he settles heavily into the lounger.

He stays at this location until Wentworth finds him in the exact same spot some time later. The younger Morgan recognises the devastation that has the other young man stare out into the garden. After some consideration he braves the silence and asks about the phone call, which he suspects causing this particular reaction from Jensen.

"Mr. Milo Padalecki just called to inform me about the departure of his brother, Jared Padalecki."

"But surely Mr. Padalecki will call you soon and return to Santa Monica before the holidays are over and we have to leave for university again."

"I was told that Mr. Padalecki has no intention of coming to Santa Monica anytime in the near future and he will be out of the country for some time." Jensen's explanation is quiet.

It strikes Wentworth as odd that the charming young gallery owner would treat Jensen in such an abominable way. From the impression the younger Morgan brother got during his acquaintance of Mr. Padalecki, the man had appeared quite smitten with the oldest Morgan son.

"I am sure that you will get some explication for what happened here. He completely adores you, Jensen. He feels very deeply for you, of that I am sure."

"But you do not know that for sure. He certainly never told that implicitly, how he feels about me, and even though his attention was on my person constantly, he did not deem it necessary to inform me about his departure. From his actions I must assume that I judged the situation wrongly."

"I don't believe Mr. Padalecki to be of such a deceitful character," cries Wentworth, "Call him and tell him about your feelings towards his person."

"It would not be appropriate to do so after his latest move."

Wentworth Morgan argues that there is most definitely a misunderstanding and that it would behove Jensen to contact Jared Padalecki and sort the situation out, but the older brother prefers to leave things like they are. It irks Wentworth somewhat that his brother gives up so easily but he can read the hurt in Jensen's eyes and chooses not to bother the other anymore for the time being.

His resolve to let the situation rest lasts for about four days, and then he once more approaches Jensen about contacting Jared Padalecki. Once again the older of the two brothers refuses to do so and in the end Wentworth has to admit defeat when Jensen starts to avoid him.

The last week of the holidays the two brothers are busy preparing their return to college and another term of studies. The strained relationship returns to the deep affection that used to exist between the two brothers before the Padalecki affair, as the whole business has been titles by the Morgan family.

On the last day Wentworth Morgan and Jensen Morgan say their goodbyes to their family and then leave for Palo Alto. Some of their friend's already wait for them upon their arrival and with some pairs of helpful hands the two young men are settled quickly in their apartment.

In no time at all Wentworth and Jensen are once more caught up in the normal course of college life. There are times when it becomes quite obvious that Jensen Morgan still smarts from the rejection he suffered from Jared Padalecki. Every attempt Wentworth makes to mend the bridge between his brother and Mr. Padalecki fails, and so he can only watch Jensen pine after the man.

Shortly after Halloween Jensen receives his acceptance for his internship with the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital the following summer, and the success is celebrated quite excessively. During the celebration Jensen finally admits his still feeling strongly about Mr. Padalecki. It is then that two brothers come up with the idea of asking their uncle and aunt to invite Jensen to New York for the Christmas break, for it will be the same time that Jared Padalecki will be back in the United States and hosting a charity event at one of his New York galleries.

Arrangements are made and after some persuasion both Sandra Morgan and Jeffrey D. Morgan agree to let their son celebrate Christmas away from the family. Patrick and Samantha Dempsey suggest coming to California before the holidays, and after their aunt visiting her two brothers, the couple will take Jensen with them to New York City.


	6. Chapter 6

# Chapter XVI

Upon Wentworth's arrival in Santa Monica he quickly mourns the absence of his older brother. Sandra Morgan constantly complains about the plainness of this year's Christmas decorations, and she does not tire to refer to the tasteful decorations Mrs. Alona McDowell picked for their house. After the third day of monologues about the merit of knowing how to properly decorate for Christmas Jeffrey D. Morgan forbids his wife to talk about the holiday at all. Unsurprisingly this order irks Mrs. Morgan even more.

Her new retreat is the attic which used to be the Yoga chamber before Sandra Morgan decided to be an artist. A course she attended with her friend enabled her to use painting as an outlet for the emotional stress she has to endure. Ever since Mrs. Morgan's new hobby the whole house is decorated with choice pieces from her creations.

Wentworth refuses to attend any Christmas parties and so he can be found in the study, reading and studying for his classes. The young man relishes the relative tranquillity that fills the house at times when the rest of the family is off to their various diversions. Even Boxing Day is calm. It is one of the scarce events where even Sandra Morgan feels the desire for peace and silence.

Two days later Wentworth Morgan receives an e-mail from Jensen who recounts the holiday celebrations in New York and informs him about the newest developments in the Padalecki affair.

> _From: Jensen Morgan (jensen-the-demonslayer@hotmail.com)  
> Date: Thursday, 27th of December 2007  
> To: Wentworth Miller  
> Subject: The long awaited N.Y.C. update_
> 
> Hi Wentworth,
> 
> I apologise for the lateness of this update but the holiday celebrations and the life here in New York are keeping me busy. There is so much to do and see that I will have to leave before experiencing only half of it. Our dear aunt and uncle do their best to make my stay a memorable one and I wish you would have come with me.
> 
> Concerning the real reason for my coming to New York City I have not made any progress so far. My attempts of calling Mr. Padalecki failed, and my e-mails are not being answered.
> 
> Yesterday I frequented the fitness club he favours at the exact time he is supposed to be present but I only happened upon his brother Milo Padalecki. His pleasure of seeing me was somewhat shallow but he promised to call upon me at our relatives' house.
> 
> When he arrived he made it quite clear that he found the visit to be quite tiresome and he informed me that his brother is travelling around the country.
> 
> Considering this recent development and taking into account the situation at the end of the summer holidays I must conclude that Mr. Jared Padalecki does not care for me the way I do for him and that the notion we got at the beginning of our acquaintance with Mr. Padalecki was wrong.
> 
> I will write to you in the afternoon and tell you some more about what life in the Big Apple is like. Until then enjoy your holidays at home and take good care.
> 
> Jensen

On the same day Wentworth Morgan receives not only another update from Jensen but an invitation is being issued by David Hatcher, who asks his friend to visit him in Washington D.C. where he is spending New Year's Eve with his fiancée. The young Morgan cannot deny a certain curiosity concerning the situation between David Hatcher and Ms. Calista Patterson and so he eagerly accepts.

The journey to the capital is uneventful and Wentworth arrives five hours later at the Washington airport where David Hatcher is already waiting to pick him up. The two friends are happy seeing each other since they did not get the chance to meet during the holidays. It had been decided that the Hatchers would celebrate Christmas with their future family-in-law at an earlier time.

Wentworth learns about the preparations for the summer wedding, which is scheduled to take place here in Columbia, and the two friends exchange information about shared friends and college live. They drive out of Washington D.C. to the Patterson home, which is located in Wheaton, Maryland.

The young man receives a warm welcome by the family and even Ms. Calista Patterson exuberates happiness upon seeing Wentworth. Mr. Patterson inquires after Wentworth's father and expresses an interest in visiting Santa Monica the coming summer. Both parents are of a very kind and likeable character and Wentworth finds it difficult to understand how the character of Calista Patterson deviates so greatly from the character of her mother and her father.

It takes the young Morgan only half a day to understand the dynamics between David Hatcher and Calista Patterson. During a walk through the neighbourhood to the Park, the two young men discuss Mr. Hatcher's current situation.

"How do you like this place?"

"It is a very charming neighbourhood but Mr. Patterson explained to me that there are arrangements made about an apartment in Washington D.C.?" is Wentworth's cautious answer.  
"Why yes, Calista is to live half of the time in Los Angeles and she will have an apartment in Washington as well."

"But you will not move there?"

"I would rather prefer to buy a house here in Wheaton." The response tells Wentworth more than the words would suggest.

"How could you live with your wife so far away from you?"

"Oh, I find that I could live with that quite well."

Upon their return to the house later on Ms. Patterson greets them with the apparently formidable news of an invitation to the illustrious Mrs. Bishop for lunch the next day. This most beneficial change in tomorrow's schedule is discussed of great proportions by Calista Patterson, and even though none of her dinner companions ever warm up to the topic to the same degree as she does, Ms. Calista does not tire to talk about Mrs. Kelly Bishop and her protégé Ms. Katie Holmes.

In the evening Wentworth retires early, excusing himself from the party. The jet lag from the five hour flight has unfortunately caught up with him and he feels the need to rest to be properly prepared for Mrs. Bishop and Ms. Holmes. The young man is curious about Mr. Laurie's future wife to be.

 

# Chapter XVII

Mrs. Kelly Bishop is the widow of the former Congressman Bishop. Her penthouse is located in the city centre close to the U.S. Capitol Grounds and the United States Botanical Garden. The party, which consists only of Ms. Patterson, David Hatcher and Wentworth, arrives to the point since Calista Patterson continuously pointed out the importance of timing.

The first impression of Mrs. Bishop is of a strict and determined woman who does not tolerate objection of any kind and kindly imparts good advice about everything. Wentworth becomes a spectator of the authority that is Kelly Bishop, and quickly he realizes that society in California is much less strict and rigid than here in Washington. Mrs. Bishop's knowledge and wisdom covers everything from etiquette to gardening practices and she most imperiously forces her opinion on her hapless guests.

"You are from Santa Monica, are you not?"

The question surprises Wentworth Morgan for their host has not made any attempt of conversation with him so far.

"That is true. Yes, my family lives in Santa Monica but my mother is from Boston originally."

"Ah yes, she is from the Boston Oh family. What a pity she married a nobody from California. I remember her mother's devastation upon learning of her daughter's decision to marry."

The remark irks Wentworth who deems it none of Mrs. Bishop's business to comment on his family.

"And you do not live with your family anymore?"

"No, me and my brother live in Palo Alto when studying in Stanford," explains Wentworth.

"So do you have any other siblings besides this brother of yours?"

"Yes, two brothers and one sister. They are all three younger than me and attend High school in Santa Monica."

"And are any of your younger siblings out?"

"Why yes, all of them," says Wentworth.

"All of them?" is Mrs. Bishop's aghast cry "Surely not all of you go out together."

"Oh no, my two youngest siblings mostly go out on their own without me or my older brother accompanying them.„ Wentworth has to hide the amusement he feels.

"Surely you are joking. The youngest who are still in High school go out on their own? I have never heard of such impropriety!"

"Well, one cannot expect them to stay at home and not enjoy themselves just because none of the older siblings want to go out? That would be most unfair for the younger ones, and might even result in them sneaking out in secret to get their share of diversions."

Mrs. Bishop eyes Wentworth closely. "You surely speak your mind rather decidedly for someone so young. But I have to say that this is all very strange to me."

The mood lightens somewhat when Ms. Katie Holmes arrives and joins the party. She is a young woman that is completely under Mrs. Bishop's clutches. It pleases Wentworth to find Mr. Laurie's fiancée to be so disagreeable.

The lunch is spent agreeing to Mrs. Bishop's various suggestions and demands. It is young Wentworth Morgan, who is Kelly Bishop's sole counterpart in the discussion that takes place at the table, since all the others prefer to keep safe from their host's wrath.

As the three young visitors prepare to leave in the afternoon it comes as a surprise for everyone when Mrs. Kelly Bishop makes them promise to visit again on the next day. She invites the whole Patterson family to an afternoon brunch and assures them that some more visitors might be present to join them as well.

Later that day Wentworth calls his brother, who eagerly asks about the famous Mrs. Bishop and the poor Ms. Holmes.

"And Ms. Katie Holmes is such a boring young woman. I cannot help but feel sorry for her though, since she is to marry none else but Mr. Laurie. The poor girl, there is nothing worse than being condemned to spend a longer period of time in Hugh Laurie's presence."

"From your characterisation of Mrs. Bishop I cannot decide who is worse to deal with, Mr. Laurie or Mrs. Bishop," comments Jensen.

"Too true. I could almost feel sorry for even Mr. Laurie, having to deal with this woman since his earliest childhood."

"Wentworth?"

"I said I could feel sorry. I did not say that I do," laughs Wentworth.

The two brothers talk till late into the night and Wentworth finally gets a more detailed recapture of what happened so far in New York. It pains the younger brother to hear of the fruitless attempts to contact Mr. Jared Padalecki and Wentworth tries his best to console Jensen.

It is almost midnight when the two Morgans say their goodnight and promise to talk the next day so that Wentworth Morgan can share his newest Kelly Bishop adventure.

 

# Chapter XVIII

Once again Wentworth is on his way to meet Mrs. Kelly Bishop but this time the group is joined by Mr. and Mrs. Patterson. Ms. Calista Patterson gives last minute instructions about the proper conduct when facing Mrs. Bishop and her anxious airs have the other members of the group soon in a state as well.

This time when the group is invited in the servant girl informs them that the other guests have already arrived. Curious about the identity of the mysterious guests, the family and friends are led into the same living area as the previous day.

It comes as a great shock to Wentworth Morgan to recognise one of the strangers as Mr. Hugh Laurie. The second visitor does not recognise though. The whole assembly settles down and Mrs. Bishop introduces her guests to each other. Wentworth finds out about the identity of the stranger he did not know. Dr. Robert S. Leonard is a cousin of Mr. Hugh Laurie and together they are visiting and staying at Mrs. Kelly Bishop's penthouse.

Conversation just like the day before is rather one-sided and only when brunch is served do people relax somewhat. During the discussion earlier on the young Morgan offspring noticed the intense stares of Mr. Laurie. He decides to avoid talking to Hugh Laurie by engaging Dr. Leonard in a conversation about Princeton-Plainsboro where the doctor is the head of oncology.

Once the two men are finished with brunch they excuse themselves to talk some more.

"I have heard quite a lot about you, Mr. Morgan, and the remarks made do you no justice."

"Remarks? I dare not ask what you were told and who told you."

The reply amuses the older man and Dr. Leonard assures that the remarks had been of a positive nature and that the person who made them was none else but Mr. Laurie. When young Wentworth Morgan refuses to believe such, his conversational partner even offers to have Hugh Laurie repeat what he said.

Their companionable talk is interrupted when the talked about man joins them. The amusement his appearance incites has Mr. Laurie ask for an explanation.

"Young Mr. Morgan refuses to believe that you talked about him most favourably. He is determined to believe you talked ill about him."

Mr. Hugh Laurie confirms the positive nature of his rendering Wentworth's character. Furthermore he praises the young man's wit and knowledge, referring to several occasions where Wentworth gave his opinion in a discussion.

It surprises Wentworth Morgan that Hugh Laurie recalls their conversations, and remembers particular opinions and remarks that even he himself cannot recall in such detail anymore. If the desire to dislike Mr. Laurie was not so great, Wentworth would be rather flattered by the attention that the older man apparently paid to him.

"Did you know, Hugh, that our young friend is also a very skilled artist? He described to me in detail a design he did for a tattoo."

"It is nothing worth being mentioned, honestly. It's just some dabbling in the arts."

Hugh Laurie demands to be explained what his two conversational partners are talking about. He shows great interest in the description of the tattoo and enquires about the particularities of the design; most of all the significance of the symbology fascinates him.  
"But pray tell me how the two of you met?" is Dr. Leonard's demand.

"It was a worse start than a bad one, and Mr. Laurie did not improve upon closer inspection that evening. It was at the opening vernissage of the Santa Monica gallery Mr. Padalecki opened. The rooms were full of people with varying degrees of interest in the art exhibited. I was just talking with a friend about a photograph that was of particular interest to us when Mr. Laurie suddenly appeared and insulted my knowledge and taste about art. He thereafter gave me the recommendation to stop talking about something that I know nothing about."

Wentworth's recapture of the ominous evening raises a laugh from Dr. Robert S. Leonard. "Why yes I can easily imagine such a situation."

"I am not a people person and situations where I have to deal with so many strangers are always difficult for me. I cannot confer with strangers as easily as I would like to," says Hugh Laurie in his own defence.

"I do not draw as well as I would like to but I always assumed that to be my own fault for I am not taking the time to practice."

The conversation is abruptly stopped when Kelly Bishop arrives with the rest of the party and demands her share of the conversation. And so the afternoon continues very much like the day before. The party agrees with Mrs. Bishop and the widow relentlessly lectures her guests about every topic that comes to her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

# Chapter XIX

This time when Wentworth Morgan returns home he forgoes the phone call to his brother, messaging him instead and giving a very short and brief recapture of the evening and the confusing conversation with Mr. Laurie and Dr. Leonard.

After receiving the advice to wait and see what happens, the young man retires and does not wake before noon the next day. The combination of Mr. Laurie and Mrs. Bishop proved to be even more exhausting than a jetlag after a 24 hours flight.

The next day brings a change in the form of an unexpected visit by Dr. Robert S. Leonard who arrives shortly after breakfast with the wish to get a tour of the neighbourhood by Wentworth Morgan. The young Morgan is delighted to oblige the older man's wish and he proposes a walk to the Wheaton Regional Park.

On their leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood the two men discuss yesterday's company and Dr. Leonard comes up with anecdotes about Mrs. Kelly Bishop and Mr. Hugh Laurie. It amuses Wentworth to hear about the mishaps of Mr. Laurie.

They reach the park where the walkway leads them through the park past meadows and small woods. Wentworth likes talking to Dr. Leonard for the older man's kind character appeals to him and is much more preferable to Mr. Laurie. Their talk has covered a vast variety of topics, ranging from society to Jensen Morgan's oncoming internship at Princeton-Plainsboro.

When their talk comes to Mr. Laurie, Wentworth is surprised to hear Dr. Leonard speak in such praising words about Hugh Laurie. It appears that to his closest friends and family the abominable man is almost saint like. Wentworth's disbelieve is countered at once with an example of Mr. Laurie's good intentions and deeds.

"Why only recently my cousin saved a friend from entering a most disadvantageous relationship. The young man in question was from a rather horrid family I am given to understand and it was only through Mr. Laurie's helpful and timely intervention that it was prevented that the budding relationship blossomed into more. I was told that the mother and the younger siblings were the worst of the lot."

It is quite clear to Wentworth Morgan just who this friend and the so displeasing family are. He fights hard for composure to avoid giving away the intimacy of the story.

When he offers the probable explanation of a misunderstanding the answer to this is quickly bestowed.

"I do not believe that to be so but if it were my cousin's victory would be slightly lessened. No, I am sure that what Hugh Laurie told me was the complete truth. He is not known to lie."

The revelation of the nature of the separation between Mr. Padalecki and Jensen has come as a shock to Wentworth and he feels the need to stomach the information in peace. Claiming a severe case of headache, the young man excuses himself and starts his walk back to the Patterson home.

While walking he gets himself into a fine state and by the time he arrives at his destination there is a burning anger inside him. He despises Mr. Laurie more than ever before and he damns him for destroying Jensen's future with Jared Padalecki. Mr. Hugh Laurie's actions are inexcusable, and Wentworth wishes his family had never made the acquaintance with the despicable man.

Wentworth Morgan's retreat to his room is interrupted by Mrs. Patterson who informs the young man about a visitor who is waiting in the living room. He is loath to delay his brooding and raving for a talk with a stranger but propriety demands he conceive his visitor.

His mood darkens further upon recognising the stranger. It is the very person who has Wentworth in such a state. Mr. Laurie.

The older man sits on the couch but gets up the moment Wentworth enters to room. There is a nervous air about him and for some time the two men face each other without any outward reaction from either of them. It is Wentworth who breaks the silence at the end.

"Good day, Mr. Laurie."

"Good day, Mr. Morgan."

The young Morgan refuses to sit down for he has no desire at all to remain in the room any longer than strictly necessary and furthermore he wants to clearly signal his dislike of Mr. Laurie.

Hugh Laurie remains standing as well and after some more seconds of looking from Wentworth to the door, he braces himself for whatever he came here to tell Wentworth.

"In vain I have suffered, it will not do. I can no longer keep silent about this. There are no words to express how ardently I love and admire you. It must be clear how impossible this connection between us is and that there is no way that the revelation of a bond between me and your person must lead to my social downfall. It is against my very nature and propriety but I cannot hide it anymore. I must ask you to enter into a relationship with me."

Word after word cut into Wentworth until his anger cannot be contained anymore and he answers enraged: "I am sorry but I must decline the offer."

"But...why are you refusing a connection that you can only benefit from?"

"From the moment we met you constantly insulted me and my family. Just now you told me that a connection between us is impossible and that it will lead to your downfall. You said that it is against your very nature. Only you can ask for a relationship and insult me at the same time," cries Wentworth.

"Surely you are realistic enough to realize that the social standing of your family, even though your father is famous with the MTV community, has no real value here on the East Coast, and that there is no way that a relationship between yourself and my person will not be frowned upon. Never forget that this relationship would be homosexual of nature and therefore cause twice the uproar," is Mr. Laurie's answer.

"And what about Jensen? I could never start a relationship with you, knowing that you destroyed my brother's hope of future happiness. Never mind what you did to poor Mr. Murray."

"This is what you accuse me of. Based on some stories you heard from Mr. Chad Michael Murray you decided long ago that I am a scoundrel that is not worth your notice?"

This time Wentworth does not reply, preferring to glare at the other man and punish his conversational adversary with his repugnance.

"Very well, my words that are so disgusting to you were from the heart. I am sorry I bothered you and hope that you and your family will fare well in the future. I take my goodbye from you."

As Mr. Laurie leaves the room Wentworth immediately heads for his room where he calls his brother to inform him about what he learned. For a long time the younger brother goes on and on about the events of the last 24 hours and when he comes to a closure he rants about Mr. Laurie.

"All this time he was hiding all of this inside of him. Poor Mr. Laurie."

"How can he be poor?" asks Wentworth.

"Just imagine how hard it has to be to feel so deeply the whole time and not being able to express your emotions. I feel very sorry for Hugh Laurie."

"Only you can feel sorry for the person who is at fault for Mr. Padalecki leaving you."

Jensen Morgan replies that he is sure that if Mr. Padalecki's feelings had been strong enough not even Mr. Laurie would have been able to be successful with his machinations. Jensen Morgan concludes that apparently Jared Padalecki had not been emotionally invested in him, and therefore it had been easy to manipulate the young man.

Wentworth Morgan once more makes the attempt to defend Mr. Jared Padalecki but Jensen insists on being done with the topic, and so the brothers talk some more about Dr. Leonard and his promise to help Jensen Morgan with his internship, and their plans for New Year's Eve.

After the phone call to New York Wentworth avoids the other residents of the house. He remains in his room for the afternoon where he prepares for the evening and the party at the house of friends of the Pattersons. Only David Hatcher braves the moodiness and spends some time with his friend, talking about the people they are going to meet.

New Year's Eve is rather uneventful this time but Wentworth enjoys the time with the older Pattersons and with his friend. He is rather grateful that Mrs. Bishop and Mr. Laurie are not part of the crowd but then again they belong to a superior circle of society. At midnight Wentworth Morgan sends his wishes to family and friends and informs them that he will call the next day after breakfast.

The last days of the holidays the young man returns to his family in Santa Monica where he is reunited with Jensen as well and finally the young men get the chance to talk about all the information face to face. The older Morgan brother admits that Mr. Laurie's behaviour hurt him more than he revealed at first, but he also assures his younger brother that he does not want Wentworth to tell the tabloids about Mr. Hugh Laurie's proposition, in order to seek retribution.

On the last day before the two brothers have to return to university Wentworth Morgan receives an e-mail that surprises and angers him, both at the same time. Curiosity gets the better of him at the end though and so he opens the message from Mr. Laurie.

> _From: Prof. Dr. Hugh Laurie (hugh.laurie@harvard.edu)  
> Date: Saturday, 5th of January 2008  
> To: Wentworth Miller  
> Subject: Pride &amp; Prejudice_
> 
> Dear Mr. Wentworth Miller,
> 
> When I left the home of the Pattersons that afternoon I was very much enraged about the accusations directed at me. I will in the course of this e-mail explain the reasoning behind my actions.
> 
> First I will address the matter of the connection between you brother and my dear friend Mr. Jared Padalecki. It had been quite clear from the Mr. Padalecki's arrival at the opening of the gallery that he was very interested in you older brother and he did not fail to express his liking and admiration. Unfortunately the enthusiasm displayed by your brother was not mentionable. Even during our stay in Las Vegas, the affection was more of a brotherly, friend-like nature than of a romantic one.
> 
> Taking into account the abominable way your mother, younger siblings and even sometimes your father, acted I do not feel any regret for advising my friend to break off all contact with your older brother. It has happened in the past already that Mr. Padalecki got emotionally involved with a person that only acted out of deceitful reasons.
> 
> There is only one thing I regret doing in the dealings with your brother and that is the concealing of your brother's presence in New York these holidays. It was not the right thing to do but there is nothing to be done about it now and so I will close this case with the statement that the end of any engagement between my friend and your brother can only be an advantage.
> 
> Secondly I want to address the affairs that involve me and Mr. Murray. I am not aware of all the things Mr. Murray accused me of but I can assure you that this man is of a vicious nature and that he has to be dealt with very carefully.
> 
> He used to be some kind of brother-in-law to me and my younger sister for he was the son of my father's lover after my mother's death. After my father died it was upon me to take care of the family and the family business. Mr. Murray made it very clear that he did not care for working in the family company and asked for a monetary compensation instead.
> 
> I was sure that this would be the last time I would see Mr. Murray but unfortunate fate had us cross our paths at a latter time once more. My younger sister, Alexis, spent some time during the holidays with friends on Martha's Vinyard at our house. When I joined them earlier than was planned, I discovered her in the arms of Mr. Murray.
> 
> She told me at once about the elopement plans the two had made and I was able to talk her out of this before any more damage could be done. After this incident I did not meet Mr. Murray before that evening at the club in Santa Monica.
> 
> For any verification on this story you might ask Dr. Robert S. Leonard for he was present when this happened. He will talk with you about Mr. Murray's and my shared past.
> 
> I once more want to apologize for inconveniencing you with my declaration and wish you all the best for your future.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Hugh Laurie

Wentworth Morgan has to reread the message again and then he calls his older brother to let him read the e-mail as well. The content is so surprising that the young man is inclined to discredit the words written.

"But Mr. Murray always appeared to be so charming. It is hard to believe that this is true."

"What reason would he have to lie about that after admitting to his horrendous actions concerning you and Mr. Padalecki? Furthermore the revelation harms his sister's reputation. I believe it to be true," argues Wentworth.

"Maybe Mr. Murray was just misguided and did not mean to cause the harm he almost did?"

"You can't have them both be good!" laughs Wentworth," There is only so much good in them both that it is enough for one man and I for my part am inclined to believe it is Mr. Laurie."

It is decided that they will not tell their mother about the content to ensure that Ms. Alexis Laurie would not have to suffer from bad press. The secret amuses the two brothers for it feels very much like being in the know about a state secret that has to be well-protected.

 

# Chapter XX

When their sister Charisma talks about last night's outing to Rosenbaum's it comes as a surprise to everyone to hear that Chad Michael Murray had ended the relationship with Ms. Heigl and was back working at the bar.

This news has Sandra Morgan gush about the young man's good looks and charms for she remembers with satisfaction the besmirching tales Mr. Murray told about Hugh Laurie.

Charisma then describes her friends' plans of going to Tijuana, Mexico, during spring break. She concludes her tale with the wish to join in the party. This causes a mass reaction at the breakfast table. Whereas Tom Morgan throws in that he wants to join in as well and Mrs. Morgan agrees that it would be a very nice idea to go to Mexico, Mr. Morgan adamantly refuses to allow any of his younger children to go to Tijuana without proper supervision.

The finality with which Jeffrey D. Morgan refuses to let either of the youngest siblings go away for spring break, calms Wentworth somewhat for Charisma eagerly points out that Mr. Murray is to accompany the group of young people and therefore an older, more responsible person will be present.

As Mr. Morgan once more forbids Charisma and Tom Morgan to join their friends, the young woman starts histrionics and wails for the next hours to come.

Before the wailing stops though Wentworth and Jensen have to leave for Palo Alto. They agree that it is good that their father will not be moved on the topic of Mexico and contemplate if it might be a recommendable idea to inform at least their parents about Mr. Murray's true nature. In the end they decide to wait and see how things are going to develop.

College starts again the next day, and studies and exams take up most of the brothers' time. There are occasional updates from Santa Monica, and Wentworth watches the developments in the Mexico business with growing horror. Both his mother and Charisma Morgan are slowly but consistently wearing Jeffrey D. Morgan down and it is only a matter of time before he will cave and surrender to the female superiority.

As projects and exams increase in number, the young man thinks less and less about the problems back at home. Studying and revisions take up almost all of his time. With a little bit of envy, Wentworth watches his two friends Ali Larter and Leonard Roberts grow closer with every day. With increasing frequency he has to think about Mr. Laurie's offer.

This unexpected development confuses Wentworth Morgan for more than one reason. There is of course the obvious, Hugh Laurie being an abominable man who does not deserve any other but hateful thoughts. But what has the young man really in a state is the sudden interest in men he notices.

When Wentworth talked with his older brother about Jensen's preferences it had been one of the things that he had been thinking about in abundance and now he finds himself finding an answer to the past questions. Apparently he can be attracted to a man as well.

Close to the semester break a surprise excites Wenworth Morgan. His aunt calls him and invites him to a sailing cruise in the Caribbean. The offer of a weeklong stay on his aunt and uncle's yacht is a fine prospect that he readily agrees to, and so preparations are made for Wentworth to join his relatives in Miami Florida where they will depart for the Caribbean Sea.

After the last exam is written the young man helps his brother pack for a five day trip to Princeton-Plainsboro where Dr. Robert S. Leonard has organised a very short internship with the paediatric department.

When the older brother is safely sent off, Wentworth heads for his own vacation. The journey is not worth being mentioned and soon he finds himself onboard the luxurious sailing yacht and on his way into the Caribbean. Never before has he been to Central America and Wentworth is curious to visit as many islands as possible on his seven day sailing trip.

They enjoy particularly fine weather and the route that Patrick Dempsey planned beforehand takes them past many private islands and deserted spots. There is an energy in the people and life that fascinates the trio and after the first day they keep from going any touristy areas or places and instead anchor and sail in lesser known regions.

 

# Chapter XXI

On their fourth day they leave a harbour with the recommendation to visit a close by island. The name of the secret treasure is Isla de la Casilla Blanca and the residence situated there is called Netherfield by the locals.

After two hours of sailing they arrive at a small isle that has to be the most happily situated place in the whole world. They are amazed about the beauty of nature and the harmony between nature and man-made construction. The place is absolute perfection.

It is decided after some debate to anchor in the small bay and take a look around. They have been reassured that the owner is away and will not visit any time soon. When in inquiring after security measures, it is explained that there are permanently servants living on the premises that willingly show visitors around when being asked.

The sand at the beach is pearly white and Wentworth has to admit that he would love nothing more but to remain on this island for the rest of his life. There is a tranquillity about the place that appeals greatly to the young man.

They find the housekeeper of the island and the house. Mrs. Hennessy is a kind Creole woman of advanced age. She shows Wentworth and his relatives around the house, pointing out the highlights and the more valued possessions. The young man notices that the paintings and the artwork on display are a surprisingly high quality.

Just as Mrs. Hennessy explains one of the statues in the recreation area, Wentworth recognises the person on a photo. The man portrayed is clearly Mr. Hugh Laurie at the same age as Wentworth Morgan. Surprised and curious he studies the photo more closely.

The capture shows Mr. Laurie together with a beautiful woman who smiles contently at the photographer, holding a baby in her arms. The blue eyes are all the same on young Hugh Laurie, on the woman and on the baby. Next to this photo is another picture but this time it is a slightly older Hugh Laurie with a youngster Chad Michael Murray and a little girl.

"This is the owner and his young sister," explains Mrs. Hennessy.

"Mr. Hugh Laurie is the owner of this private island?"

"Why yes, of course he is. There is no better employer than him. In all my years working for the Laurie family, and I was already working for Mrs. Laurie before she died in that dreadful accident, I never heard a cross word from him. Not once."

Wentworth took the picture with Chad Murray in his hand to take a closer look at the expression on their faces. There is none of the later contempt or conceit in their expressions. Young Mr. Laurie has his arms around adolescent Mr. Murray and holds his sister's hand.

"Who is the other young man on this photo?" is Mrs. Dempsey's question.

"The young man on this picture is Mr. Murray. He used to live with Mr. Laurie and his sister but he turned out to be very wild."

Mrs. Dempsey's question about the whereabouts of the owner are answered with the disclosure that Mr. Laurie with his sister and party of friends is to arrive the next day for Ms. Laurie's birthday party. She happily describes in detail the party planned and tells them about the motor yacht which was especially commissioned for the young woman.

The sudden attack of anxiousness is lightened by the information that the party is only supposed to arrive the next day. When Mrs. Hennessy offers to show them the garden and the small harbour, the group eagerly follows her outside and into the immense layout.

They marvel at the tropical lushness of the plants and the exquisite design of the garden.

While Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey discuss the finer points of gardening with Mr. and Mrs. Hennessy, Wentworth walks until he arrives at the small harbour. A stylish motor yacht anchors beside a sleek Bénéteau sailing yacht.

Curious the young man walks towards ships. His approach comes to an abrupt halt when suddenly a figure ascends out of the belly of the sailing yacht. Wentworth is shocked to face Mr. Laurie who stares bewildered at the surprise visitor. His outfit is ruffled and his clothes are sweat-stained. Both men blush but force themselves to act normal.

Composed Hugh Laurie welcomes Wentworth Morgan and enquires after the young man's family. When Wentworth assures him that everyone is well, thank you, the next question is about Wentworth's spring break.

Their awkward conversation is interrupted when Mr. and Mrs. Hennessy show Wentworth's aunt and uncle the harbour, and the whole party meets up with the two flustered men. Surprisingly Mr. Laurie greets Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey in a most charming way and offers to continue the tour of the isle.

"Do you enjoy playing golf, Mr. Dempsey?"

"Why yes, when I find the time to do so."

Mr. Laurie insists on showing them the moderate golf court and they make their way through the garden to inspect the court. Wentworth and Mrs. Dempsey walk slower than the two men and so they can easily watch the interaction between Hugh Laurie and Patrick Dempsey.

"Is this the proud Mr. Laurie?" is her question to her nephew. "He is all ease and politeness."

"I don't know what brought about this change in character," answers Wentworth.

The rest of the island is as beautiful as the part they already saw and the three visitors do not tire to compliment Mr. Laurie on the house, the garden and the beach. When Hugh Laurie invites for a light repast, they readily agree and so they are seated on the patio overlooking the sea.

Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey chat with the housekeeper and her husband, who takes care of the garden. With a strange feeling Wentworth watches the scene. He cannot help but feeling some regret for refusing Mr. Laurie, for the man he has been able to witness today is one of the most charming people he ever met.

"What do you think about the Isla de la Casilla Blanca?"

Mr. Laurie's question has the young man turn to the side only to find the man watching him closely.

"It is a very beautiful place."

"I would like to invite you and your aunt and uncle to stay and celebrate my sister's birthday with us."

"This is not only my decision to make, you will have to ask my aunt and uncle as well," answers Wentworth.

"I already talked to them and they agreed on the term that you are alright with it. Will you consider staying for a whole day?"

Wentworth agrees but he cannot help but wonder what will become of this odd new development. It unsettles him somewhat to find Mr. Laurie so greatly changed from his past behaviour and character. This complete transformation makes it hard to judge the situation the young man finds himself in.

Mr. Laurie entertains his guests for the rest of the day and even has Mrs. Dempsey and Wentworth Morgan participate in the impromptu golf cup he organises in the evening. They are joined by Mr. and Mrs. Hennessy and the six of them enjoy their competition.

Surprisingly it is Mrs. Hennessy who wins in the end and her prize is a self-cooked dish from Mr. Laurie and a cocktail made by Mr. Hennessy. It amuses her and the three guests to watch the two men tamper in the kitchen and behind the bar.

The evening comes to an end when the party decides to retire. Wentworth stares in awe around the room he has been assigned to. The accommodations include all the amenities imaginable and the young man sits down in front of the computer to compose an e-mail to his brother.

After doing his correspondence, Wentworth Morgan settles down and quickly finds himself asleep. The many surprises of the day took their toll on him.


	8. Chapter 8

# Chapter XXII

The next morning when Wentworth Morgan arrives at the breakfast table he does not only find his aunt and uncle and Mr. Laurie present. They are joined by Mr. Jared Padalecki and his siblings, as well as a young woman.

The young woman is introduced as Ms. Alexis Laurie. She is also the little girl from the photographs. Wentworth divides his attention between Ms. Laurie and Mr. Padalecki, who inquires after Wentworth's family and in particular Jensen Morgan.

Talk is easy with Alexis Morgan, and soon Wentworth knows that the young woman plans to apply for Harvard and Yale, and that she volunteers for an organisation which tries to make the public aware of the dangers of global warning. The young man is impressed to learn that she helped her brother start a campaign to help with organising funds to rebuild the destroyed homes in New Orleans. The interests of young Ms. Alexis Laurie vary greatly from Wentworth's own sister.

The noon is spent talking and enjoying the beautiful day. The house is full of catering staff and the artists for the music entertainment. After the third time one of them hinders one the workers, Mrs. Hennessy throws them out of the house and now the group has set up their base at the small lagoon.

Around midday the first guests for the party arrive. Some are flown in via chopper but the majority arrive on their yachts.

A festive mood is to be felt and the catering personnel make sure that every one of the newcomers is immediately catered with champagne and canapés. Wenworth enjoys himself at the party, and he finds himself enjoying Mr. Laurie's attention as well. Hugh Laurie is almost constantly at his side, involving the young man in his discussion, constantly asking for Wentworth's opinion.

In the late afternoon the day takes a very different turn though. When Wentworth goes to his room to get a jacket he finds he has a message waiting on the voice mail. Curious to find out who tried to contact him here in the Caribbean he listens to the message.

"Wentworth, it's me, Jensen. I am sorry to interrupt your holidays but there is something you have to know. Charisma disappeared. She told mother and father she was to stay with a friend at their place in San Francisco but she went with her friends to Tijuana instead. Yesterday morning she had been gone, leaving a note to say that she is running away together with Chad Michael Murray. So far the police have not done anything since you have to wait for 48 hours before you can file for a missing person. Mother and father are beside themselves with worry. I am already on my way back from Princeton but I don't know what to do and how to help them. Please come home as fast as you can."

The message shocks Wentworth greatly and he has to sit down on the bed. He cannot believe his sister being irresponsible enough to act in such a thoughtless manner but he remembers Mr. Laurie's description of Mr. Murray and fears for Charisma.

Wentworth forces himself to return to the party to inform his aunt and uncle about the incident and talk about the fastest return route to Santa Monica. But the young man never makes it further than the kitchen where he has to sit down again. In horror he thinks about what could have happened to his little sister.

It is in that state that Mr. Laurie finds him a short time later. Mrs. Hennessy noticed Wentworth and alarmed her boss to the troubled young man. Hugh Laurie asks Wentworth Morgan for explanation of his disturbed state and Wentworth cannot help but relay the message he just heard to the other man.

"It is my fault," is Mr. Laurie's reaction.

"No it is not. There is nothing you could have done about that. Nobody could have prevented it from happening."

"It could have been prevented if I had made public the true nature of Mr. Murray. Now your young sister has to suffer from my negligence. My pride and carelessness resulted in this disaster."

Wentworth once more assures Mr. Laurie that it is not something that could have been so easily avoided. He furthermore points out that Wentworth himself did not inform his parents about the vicious nature of Mr. Murray.

"You have to immediately return to your family. They will need you now."

Hugh Laurie sends Mrs. Hennessy off to find Mr and Mrs. Dempsey while he stays with Wentworth.

"You can travel by helicopter to Miami where my private jet will wait to take you Santa Monica. I will make sure that you arrive in California as quickly as possible."

"I cannot accept this. This is too much trouble for you."

But Mr. Laurie refuses to listen to Wentworth's protests and insists on the young man accepting the help being offered. When Wentworth's aunt and uncle join them and the young man has finished telling them about the tragedy happening in Santa Monica, they agree to accompany him back home. Once more Hugh Laurie offers his means of transportation.

Only an hour later the three find themselves on their way back to the United States. Mr. Laurie assured them that he would have the yacht taken care of, even offering to berth the yacht at the harbour of the island.

The whole journey back Wentworth worries about his sister while his aunt and uncle phone friends and Mr. and Mrs. Morgan to help where- and however they are able to. There are no updates so far and the one phone call Wentworth Morgan makes to his brother does not reassure him at all. Jensen tells him some more details about the exact course of the incident and he describes the situation at the Morgan home.

It takes eight hours for the three travellers to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport and the short drive from there to Santa Monica is the hardest time for Wentworth. Upon entering the house Sandra Morgan rushes to the newcomers and wails about the troubles that have befallen her family. Jeffrey D. Morgan is more composed but his face is haggard and it is easily to see that the incident has taken its toll on him.

While Samantha and Patrick Dempsey retreat together with Mr. and Mrs. Morgan to discuss further measures to take and what has been done so far, Wentworth follows Jensen upstairs where they retreat to Wentworth's room.

"The police has been informed now and they started the search for her, but the investigations are complicated by they fact that she disappeared in Mexico. They are not sure who responsible for the search. Father insists on her being somewhere in the States but the police say that as long as there is no proof for that assumption they have to assume that she still remains in Mexico."

"What a mess this whole situation is and it is my fault that all of this happened."

"Wentworth you could not have foreseen this to happen."

"I knew about the true nature of Chad Michael Murray's character and I did not tell our parents and I also failed to warn Charisma about him," argues Wentworth.

"Wentworth, your doing so would not have changed anything. Surely you must realise that. She lied to our parents about going to Mexico and none of our warnings would have been heeded. She is much too stubborn to do as told."

Wentworth Morgan throws in that they can not say for sure that this couldn't have been avoided by revealing Mr. Murray's past dealings with Ms. Laurie. The two brothers discuss the topic further and in the end they come to no conclusion due the circumstances that both are of a different opinion.

Wentworth notices that Tom Morgan is more anxious than the rest of the family but his younger brother does not reveal what has him such a state. The older Morgan brother suspects Tom to know something about circumstances around Charisma's disappearance.

After dinner he corner's the adolescent and it takes not a long time until Tom Morgan admits having known for some time that Charisma had been planning to run away with Mr. Murray. The young woman had kept her brother updated about developments in Mexico and on the evening before her disappearance she sent Tom a text message in which she informed her brother of a plan to leave Tijuana and go on a road trip through the south of the United States.

Wentworth has Tom show the message to Jeffrey D. Morgan who does not waste a minute to take his son's cell phone to the next police station and inform them about the new revelations. Finally the investigation and search starts in the U.S. as well.

But the next day there is no change in the situation and Jensen and Wentworth have to return to Palo Alto because classes start again. There is a reluctance to leave their family in this time of worry, but their father assures them that they will be updated regularly about the status quo.

 

# Chapter XXIII

The worry about the youngest Morgan sibling had kept the parents from noticing something different as well. Three days after their return to college, Jensen and Wentworth get a call from their father who informs them that he had all his credit cards cancelled, including the ones for his children.

There had been two large withdrawals made with Charisma's card in Mexico on the day of the girl's disappearance. To prevent any other withdrawals Jeffrey D. Morgan had all the cards cancelled. He promises his two oldest sons that the new card will arrive at the end of the week.

A week later there is finally news in the case. At a cash machine in San Antonio, Texas Charisma's card was retracted. Finally there is some proof for the presence of either of the refugees. Four days later there is the report of a sighting of Charisma in Houston but after that there is silence again.

Wentworth has troubles concentrating in class and most of the time he spends blaming himself for the whole disaster. None of his friends, not even Jensen, are able to convince him otherwise.

Two weeks after that his worry changes from fear to anger. He starts a quarrel with his older brother when Jensen tries to calm him down.

"How can she do that? She must know that this will show our family in a very unfavourable light. Everyone will look down on us because of her behaviour. It's bad enough that everyone thinks us to be stupid because of our mother's odd moods and now our sister discredits us even further."

"Why would you think that? Everyone who knows us would never discredit us because of our sister's running away," reassures Jensen.

"There has been enough ridicule already. Especially you have to understand what I am talking about. Our family's antics cost you Mr. Padalecki's favour after all."

"That is not fair. If Mr. Padalecki had cared for me he would have not cared about my family's action. I don't believe my future chance at happiness being slightened by Charisma's behaviour. Why are you being so full of resentment? You make it sound like you suffered loss because of this incident."

Wentworth is loath to admit that he assumes to have lost Mr. Laurie's good opinion over the whole Mexico affair. His brother did not know how much Wentworth's feelings had changed towards the older man.

Even though Mr. Laurie had helped Wentworth to get home faster, there had not been a word from Hugh Laurie after that, not even an inquiry after the safety of the journey. Surely all of his chances with Mr. Laurie were gone now.

And some more days pass by before the news reaches them that Charisma Morgan has returned home. She was accompanied by two police men and she even had with her the money that had been withdrawn from Mr. Morgan's account.

Wentworth and Jensen return to Santa Monica for the weekend to welcome their sister back and get some more information about what happened and how their sister was found.

At home they find Charisma grounded to her room and their parents in an odd mood. They are both happy and relieved about their daughter's safe return but they are as well angered about the young woman's behaviour. Tom Morgan is the only member of the family that actively seeks Charisma out and spends some time with her.

The information that they get is scarce. Charisma showed up at the police station in Santa Monica and asked the officers if someone could accompany her home. Apparently she had been afraid of arriving alone, and facing her father on her own.

She had refused to talk about what happened and only mentioned being in Texas for some of the time. After it had been assured that the young woman had not been sexually abused or hurt in any way, their parents had grounded the young woman for the rest of the time until summer. Charisma not revealing what she did and why she ran away did not help any to relieve the strain that is in the relationship between her and Sandra and Jeffrey D. Morgan.

Wentworth finds it hard to believe that his sister returned all on her own to Santa Monica but since nobody has any clues about what happened and Charisma refuses to talk about the whole incident the only thing he can do is welcome his sister back and ponder about had been going on.

 

# Chapter XXIV

At the weekend that Wentworth and Jensen Morgan visit their family, news reaches them. Faster than a wood fire the news spreads that Mr. Jared Padalecki has returned to Santa Monica and that he plans a new exhibition at the gallery during the Easter break.

Jensen Morgan's reaction to the news is very restrained and he pretends not being affected by Jared Padalecki's move back to Santa Monica. When another rumour is added to the talks though, the young man cannot help but discuss the situation with his younger brother.

"Mrs. Teri Hatcher told mother that Mr. Padalecki bought the house next doors to Mr. Laurie's house. The information seems to be valid since father's sources reported the same. I wonder why he chose this time to acquire property in Santa Monica."

"It might be that he chooses to stay for a longer time again and does not want to stay with his friend all the time."

"But he could have easily rented out a place that would have suited for his purposes."

Wentworth speculates that there is always the chance that Mr. Jared Padalecki has a reason to believe that he will in the future remain more often for a longer time in Santa Monica. He refers to the gallery and the special exhibitions that are planned in summer and in autumn.

"Still I wonder about his motivation about that move. It's not like it has any impact on me for I am over my infatuation with Mr. Padalecki."

When his statement is only answered with a disbelieving look from Wentworth, Jensen hurries to point out that he is not in love with the man anymore and that he considers it to be fortunate that he can talk in a group that includes Mr. Padalecki without becoming nervous.

Surprisingly two days after the brother's speculations about the return of Jared Padalecki, said person visits at their apartment in Palo Alto. Wentworth answers the door only to find Mr. Padalecki waiting. His wordless stare is answered by a slightly hesitant smile.

"Good Morning!"

"Good Morning, Mr. Padalecki!"

Fortunately Wentworth has recovered far enough by then to bid their visitor in. Jensen is out on his morning run and so the younger Morgan brother invites Mr. Padalecki for breakfast.

"I did not know that you were considering to look for accommodations here in Palo Alto. I thought you bought a house in Santa Monica only a short time ago."

"I am not here to inspect any houses or apartments. Actually I am here to talk to Jensen."

Wenworth informs Mr. Padalecki that Jensen is out running, but reassures him that he will be back any minute now. The rest of the time is spent in silence since none of the two men know where they stand with the other, and therefore choose to not say anything at all.

Jensen Morgan returns when Wentworth refills Mr. Padalecki's cup of coffee. The younger brother excuses himself and leaves the two men to each other. He dresses quickly and leaves for his friend Sendhil Ramamurthy.

For reasons unknown it strikes him as odd that the young man showed up without any prior call just to talk to Jensen. Wentworth is distracted all the time while he works on a course project with him and has to excuse himself earlier than he originally planned to leave. On the way back to his apartment the young man wonders what his brother will tell him about Mr. Padalecki's visit.

At the apartment he finds the place empty but there is a note in his room which was left by his brother.

> _Wentworth,_
> 
> Thank you for giving us the chance to talk about what happened last year and this Christmas break.
> 
> Jared informed me that there has been a great misunderstanding and that he was led to believe that my interest in his person was not true. He now knows that not to be true though and asked me to consider a relationship with him. He bought the house so he could stay close to me.
> 
> We are out for lunch and I might not return before late this evening. I am so glad that things worked out in the end. Thank you once more, brother.
> 
> Jensen

Wenworth is merry for this fortunate turn in the whole affair. He considers calling his parents but chooses to refrain from doing so for his brother surely wants to do that himself. The young man wonders though about who told him about Jensen's true feelings.

After some deeper thinking he still has not found the answer but has become hungry. The preparations and the act of cooking keep the young man busy and he does not even notice his older brother return home. Only when Jensen enters the kitchen to relay in detail the events of the last hour, becomes Wentworth aware of the other person's presence.

The younger Morgan brother rejoices seeing his brother in such high spirits. The glow that has been gone since last summer is back and increases Jensen's good looks. Excitedly Jensen Morgan describes the talk between Mr. Padalecki and the older Morgan son. Conversation had been stinted in the beginning but once the misunderstanding had been cleared up there had been an ease and familiarity that had not existed before.

In very clear words Mr. Padalecki had proposed to Jensen and offered time to reflect on the proposition. The offer made includes not only a relationship between the two men but also the possibility of Jared Padalecki moving permanently to Santa Monica to be closer to Jensen.

When Wentworth asks how Mr. Padalecki was made aware of the misunderstanding and why he had chosen to return himself to California for the new exhibition, Jensen cannot answer them to the younger brother's satisfaction. Wentworth suspects some interference from a third party and he suspects that either Mr. Milo Padalecki or somebody else who knows of the whole story has made Jared Padalecki aware of Mr. Laurie's ministrations.

Another proof for this theory is the absence of Mr. Laurie. The young man finds himself disappointed by this fact and he wonders if he will ever meet Hugh Laurie again.

Jensen Morgan is anxious to return to Santa Monica and it is a fortunate fact, that in three weeks start the Easter holidays and the two brothers are to return to their family for a whole week. The older brother bridges the time with long phone calls and online chats.


	9. Chapter 9

# Chapter XXV

Another surprise comes to the two brothers when one week before the Easter break Dr. Robert S. Leonard visits them. The man invites Wentworth out for dinner and he politely enquires after Charisma Morgan, being interested in how the young woman is doing and if she has talked about the whole incident yet.

After some time Wentworth grows suspicious and asks Dr. Leonard about the sudden interest in the youngest Morgan offspring. His questions are evaded but the young man refuses to be diverted from the topic and so he finally gets the information that he seeks for.

"You have to know that your sister did not return of her own free will and on her own. It was Hugh Laurie who found her in Dallas, Texas. He had been searching for them from the moment you left the island in the Caribbean but it was difficult to get a starting point to track Chad Michael Murray down."

"But how did he know where to look in Texas?" asks Wentworth.

"It was Alexis who brought the insight needed to find your sister. She remembered a place Chad mentioned where he wanted to go with her."

This piece of information confirms what Wentworth had been fearing and suspecting all the time. The revelation of Mr. Murray's past dealings with Ms. Alexis Laurie could have, if not prevented everything, helped with the faster finding of Charisma Morgan.

Dr. Robert S. Leonard then goes on with explaining how Mr. Laurie came upon Mr. Murray and Charisma in Dallas.

"He found them in a club close to the apartment they staid in, and when he confronted the couple, Mr. Murray was easily persuaded to let your sister go. She is underage and Mr. Laurie threatened to take him to the next police station. Your sister was most unwilling though. She simply refused to leave the club and even threatened Mr. Laurie with suing him."

The older man then goes on describing in great detail how Hugh Laurie sent Mr. Murray packing and made Charisma come to her senses and start with the preparations to return to Santa Monica.

"She was afraid though about the money she had taken and only agreed to return to her parents when Mr. Laurie offered her to replace the money with his own money. He accompanied her to Santa Monica and made her promise to go to the nearest police station."

"Thank you for telling me the truth about what happened. I always suspected there to be a story but Charisma did not talk about it at all."

"Well, Hugh asked her not to reveal his involvement in this issue. It has something to do with the relationship between him and your mother, I take it."

The last comment makes Wentworth smile for it amuses him that even when dealing with such a serious situation, Mr. Laurie still finds the time to continue his quarrel with Sandra Morgan.

"Well, one might say that the two of them had a bad start."

"I take it she is the mother of the young man Mr. Padalecki is interested in?"

"Yes, she is."

The question about Jensen reminds Wentworth of another mystery that needs answering and he suspects Dr. Leonard to know the details to this story as well.

"How is the friendship between Mr. Laurie and Mr. Padalecki these days?"

"They are well, as far as I am informed."

"But why did Mr. Padalecki arrive without his good friend this time?" Wentworth asks further.

"Hugh is currently in Europe but he is to return in time for the exhibition start in one and a half weeks."

When it becomes clear that Dr. Leonard is not to give up the desired information without more incentive, Jensen bluntly asks about how Mr. Padalecki was made aware of the entirety of Mr. Laurie's intervention.

"Why it was Hugh himself who explained the whole affair to Jared. He told him shortly after Alexis' birthday party and he was also the one to suggest coming here in person and asking for forgiveness."

This explanation comes as a shock to Wentworth and he refuses to believe it until his conversational partner relays to him word by word what was said in the conversation. The young man had never expected Mr. Laurie to act in such a way.

The rest of the dinner the two men talk about more agreeable topics and when Dr. Leonard has to leave, he promises Wentworth to be at the opening at Mr. Padalecki's gallery. Upon returning to the apartment Wentworth finds his brother on the phone to Mr. Padalecki. He hears the happiness in Jensen's voice and wishes Mr. Laurie was already back from his trip to the Old World.

 

# Chapter XXVI

It is ten days after the revelations about Mr. Laurie's involvement in settling the affair of Charisma and Mr. Murray as well as his influence in Mr. Padalecki's returning. In the evening Wentworth is going to see the man in person for the first time since his hastened departure from the Caribbean island. For reasons unknown to even himself Wentworth kept his newly acquired information to himself, and so nobody but him knows the complete truth about certain dealings in the past.

The whole Morgan household is in an uproar. Ever since Jensen Morgan was reunited with Mr. Padalecki, Sandra Morgan has been busy spreading the news about the fortunate turn on things. On this particular day she has spent the whole noon at the hair dresser where she informed everyone frequenting the parlour about the most favourable connections her oldest son made.

Jeffrey D. Morgan staid at the studio and the garage as long as was possible and only returns when it is time to leave for the Padalecki gallery. His choice of clothes is not approved by Mrs. Morgan and so the whole family has to wait for him to change his outfit. The nerved children are indoctrinated in the proper way of harmonising the outfit of a group while waiting for their father.

When the family arrives at the red carpet they find themselves swamped with reporters who enquire after the relationship between Jensen and Jared Padalecki. The siblings use the chance of escape from the crowd when Mrs. Morgan gets another chance of talking about her connection to Mr. Padalecki.

"One would think she was to marry him from the glee she exuberates when relaying the news," sighs Wentworth.

"In the end everything we do is done to get her off our back." Jensen laughs and winks at his brother before he guides them to the crowd at the bar.

Wentworth is surprised to not only find Mr. Padalecki, Mr. Laurie and Dr. Leonard but with them there is Ms. Alexis Laurie. She greets the young man before having Dr. Robert S. Leonard accompany her through the gallery. This move leaves the four men to their own devices. Mr. Padalecki takes advantage of this development and engages Jensen in a conversation.

For some time Wentworth listens to the talk but the need to talk with Mr. Laurie about his help is too great and so he asks Hugh Laurie to tour the gallery with him. Mr. Laurie readily accepts and so they start their trek through the exhibition rooms.

"I want to thank you for your help with Charisma. My family does not know about your involvement in the affair but I want to express the gratitude in the name of all of us."

"There is no need to thank me in the name of your family. I did not help because I wanted to do them a favour. To be completely honest the only person I did it for is you."

The words are not what Wentworth expected and he feverishly thinks about an appropriate response to this confession.

"You are too kind to endure my presence. I ask you to tell me once and for all what your feelings are where I am concerned. My emotions are unchanged since my revealing my love to you last December but if you feel like you told me back then, please just tell me and I will be silenced on this topic forever."

Wentworth listens to Mr. Laurie pour his heart out and argue his case with love shining in his eyes. Suddenly feeling shy, the young man avoids Hugh Laurie's eyes while fighting for composure. The words are more than Wentworth had ever dared to hope for and he fears saying the wrong thing.

All the time while the young man tries to find his inner centre again, Mr. Laurie describes to Wentworth in detail the motivations for his actions and he describes to the object of his affection in great detail his talk to his sister and his cousin Dr. Robert S. Leonard, when he informed them about his intentions where Wentworth is concerned.

The deep emotions he feels for the young Morgan has Hugh Laurie almost begging the other to think once more about the proposition that had been made during the Christmas break. Before the older man talks himself into a complete frenzy, Wentworth relieves him by answering the question.

"My feelings, what I said back then … I was angered by the revelation about my brother and Mr. Padalecki and therefore said many hurtful things and I find that my feelings about you have changed quite a bit since them. In fact they are the opposite of what they were back then."

The reply has Mr. Laurie stare with disbelief at Wentworth and it takes some seconds before he reacts at all.

"So you are going to accept the offer made back then?"

"Am I going to be a secret? With my family being what they are and me being a man I want to know what exactly I am to expect from the bond between us."

Mr. Laurie answers with the pledge to never hide Wentworth and to do his best to heal the breach between him and Wentworth's family. "I want to make sure that you never have to choose between them and me."

It is clear that Hugh Laurie is willing to pay any price Wentworth asks for and even though the young man is not of the mind to demand any more than what was already offered, it impresses him to find out about the depth of Mr. Laurie's feelings.

In the last week he thought about the history between them and he came to the conclusion that whatever the other man did in the past, Wentworth cared too much about Mr. Laurie to not desire a bond between them. This revelation had made him seek council with his friends and all three of them had agreed that he is to follow his heart in this.

Being faced with the current situation Wentworth follows the advice and therefore his heart. Without another minute of contemplating possible risks Wentworth accepts Mr. Laurie's offer. He reaches out to the man and seals their agreement with a kiss that is only one of many to come in the future.

The rest of the evening does not find one of them without the other. There is an accepting smile from Ms. Alexis Laurie and an amused wink from Dr. Leonard but the rest of the group appears to be oblivious to the development in the relation between Mr. Laurie and Wentworth Morgan.

When the two men have to part late in the night, Wentworth promises to visit the next day. On the drive home the young man listens to Sandra Morgan's recapture of the evening and her endless gushing about the beautiful dress young Ms. Laurie had been wearing.

"And the girl is of such an agreeable temper, much different from her abominable brother who only finds pleasure in disagreeing with my every word. Were he a man of some wit at least, he would see the wisdom in my conversation."

Jeffrey D. Morgan points out that Mr. Laurie had been remarkable civil and charming this time and that it might be of interest to let go of old grudges.

"Mr. Morgan, this suggestion is intolerable. How can you say that he was charming? I watched him frown upon Teri Hatcher's argumentation about the new winter colours in fashion."

This time none of the other family members chooses to argue with her since it is obvious that Mrs. Morgan is determined to dislike Mr. Laurie.

 

# Chapter XXVII

It is much later when Wentworth prepares to retire for the night that Mr. Morgan enters his son's room. He sits down at the desk and prepares himself for what he apparently perceives to be an uncomfortable talk.

"Mr. Herrmann approached me today at the gallery and asked me why I hadn't informed him about the connection between you and Mr. Laurie. He told me that he had stumbled upon the two of you kissing."

"Would it be a problem if I had been kissing Mr. Laurie at the party?"

Mr. Morgan reassures his second oldest son that his sexual preferences are not what is bothering him, but the choice of person is what worries Jeffrey D. Morgan.

"I can assure you father that Mr. Laurie is not of the faulty character mother's descriptions make him out to be."

"I would never judge a person by your mother's characterisation. It has to be said that his past history with this family does not show him in a very favourable light. Are you sure that you want to spend your life with a person you cannot fully respect. I know you Wentworth; it would make you sad and depressive."

"Is my former dislike of his character your sole reason for worry?" is Wentworth's question.

When Jeffrey D. Morgan admits that Mr. Laurie is indeed a good catch, the young man reassures his father that there is nothing to worry about since Wentworth cares deeply and most fondly about Hugh Laurie.

With this promise Mr. Morgan leaves his son's room and both men retire for the night, resting and preparing for the morning's spectacle that would be Mrs. Morgan when finding out about the connection between her son and Mr. Hugh Laurie.

They are not disappointed when Sandra Morgan cries for three hours straight after Wentworth Morgan relayed yester eve's development and the young man's engagement to Mr. Laurie. The only person that is allowed to enter the attic is Teri Hatcher who informs her in great detail about Santa Monica's reaction to Wentworth's and Mr. Laurie's kiss.

Surprisingly it is not Sandra Morgan who brings the topic forward and asks him for his reasoning. Jensen Morgan corners his younger brother on the patio and demands an explanation for the recent happenings.

"I cannot believe you would even consider entering into a relationship with Mr. Laurie. Didn't you always tell me that it is of utmost importance to only enter into a serious relationship when being absolutely certain that person is the right one?"

"Jensen…"

"No, only days ago you talked about him as if he was the devil incarnate and today you are willing to bond yourself to him?" Jensen Morgan looks at his brother with an expression of disbelieve. "Pray tell when did you fall in love with him?"

"To be completely honest, I cannot say. It has been coming on so gradually. It is true that I was not talking kindly about him but what was contempt in the beginning was later on only a means of protection. I was afraid that Mr. Laurie did not favour me anymore and that my allowing myself to feel even the tiniest flicker of emotion might cause me serious pain upon Hugh Laurie's rejection."

"That is so not like you. You are always self-confident and there is nothing that scares you."

This description of himself has Wentworth laugh and he points out several occasions where he had felt fear. "Please believe me brother, when I tell you that Mr. Laurie is all I ever wanted in a partner and that he cares just as much about my person as I do about him."

Once more Jensen Morgan questions the seriousness of the emotions involved but when Wentworth describes in great detail the depth of his feelings for Mr. Laurie, Jensen stops his protestations. The older brother congratulates Wentworth to the bond and the two brothers continue to discuss the amazing changes that have taken place since the beginning of last summer.

In the afternoon Wentworth Morgan meets with Mr. Laurie, and his sister, and cousin for a late luncheon after which they are joined by Mr. Padalecki and Jensen Morgan. The party relishes the comfortable atmosphere and their outing lasts until well into the night before the groups disbands.

When the two young men return home, Sandra Morgan has still locked herself into the attic. The other family members are curious about a detailed recapture of the last evening and want to know how the situation was to come about.

Wentworth spends a whole hour relaying the eventful past of his and Mr. Laurie's relationship. It is then that he tells his father for the first time Hugh Laurie's part in the return of Charisma Morgan and the young woman talks about her perception of the whole incident. It is well past midnight when the family retires.

 

# Chapter XXVIII

The last days of the Easter holidays are spent trying to breach the gap between Mr. Laurie and Sandra Morgan, and only when Hugh Laurie promises Mrs. Morgan to introduce her to his connections of the East Coast society, Sandra Morgan warms up to him.

The departure to Palo Alto is hard on the two young men since they would much rather prefer to stay in Santa Monica and in the presence of their love interests. Promises are made to visit and the summer holidays are nearing, easing some of the pain the parting brings.

This time when Jared Padalecki visits Jensen Morgan unannounced he is accompanied by Hugh Laurie and they spend the whole weekend with the two brothers. It is clear to everyone who observes the two couples that the feelings are true and deep.

As time passes even Mrs. Morgan grows to like Mr. Laurie, and she happily fawns over Ms. Alexis Laurie, who she considers to be her second daughter. This development is not much to the liking of Hugh Laurie, but when his young sister assures him that she enjoys the attention, and considers Sandra Morgan as a close and good friend, even Hugh Laurie cannot interfere with what he considers to be a bad idea.

The summer holidays are spent most of the time in Santa Monica but for three weeks Mr. Laurie invites his and Wentworth's friends and family to Isla de la Casilla Blanca. Mrs. Morgan spends the whole stay in raptures about the beauty of the place and happily points out that Mrs. Calista Hatcher does not own such a beautiful place.

For the rest of Wentworth Morgan's studies, Wentworth and Hugh Laurie spend their time together in Santa Monica and only during longer holidays they occasionally visit Mr. Laurie's friends on the East Coast.

After the young man has finished his studies, he gets the offer to work as a legal advisor and representative of Mr. Padalecki, and it is decided that Wentworth will relocated from California to New York City. The importance of this decision is something that Mr. Laurie is well aware of and shows the depth of Wentworth's feelings for Hugh Laurie.

Jeffrey D. Morgan greatly misses Jensen and Wentworth after their leaving the family. Although Jensen now lives together with Mr. Padalecki in Santa Monica, Wentworth's relocation to the East Coast has him mourn the loss of the only family member he enjoyed talking to.

Although there are times when Mr. Laurie and his younger lover are not of one mind, not one hard or loud word is ever said and there is the general consensus that there is no other couple that matches so perfectly.

Wentworth's lively spirit and zeal for life was the necessary component which made the rather stoical and sometimes proud Mr. Laurie loose some of his composure. There can be no doubt about the wholesome influence the young man had on his companion.

Many years from that fateful summer where the two men met each other for the first time they look back on their shared life and they come to realize that life could not have been any better.

 

## THE END


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